Survival of the Fittest
by SaphirePearl
Summary: For several years, Shun has always had to look over his shoulder to ensure that he was never caught by the police. Now he has had enough and turns himself in. He must now face the hardest trial of his life: making it out of prison alive.
1. Chapter 1

******Author Note: **I have always written stories over the last eight years, but this is my first published story. All reviews are welcomed and greatly appreciated.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 1: End Of The Line**

'Two years... That's how long it has been.' The young man with raven black hair that was pulled back into a braid thought depressingly. His hazel brown eyes took his surroundings in as he sat on top of the Marakura's roof. He was dressed in green and black clothes with a black jacket on top. If one didn't know what to look for, they would have missed him sitting there in the dark.

Just below the man on the roof, another young man walked out the front door. He was wearing black cargo pants, black tank top and a bright red jacket. His hair was brown that fell slightly in his eyes, which were also brown. He also wore goggles on top of his head, which was practically his trademark. When he was ten feet from the entrance, he turned around and looked up to the roof.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Hey, Shun? How long are you going to be up there? Not all night I hope."

The black haired man, named Shun Kazami, looked at his best friend, Dan Kuzo. He sighed again and yelled back, "Not long. I'll be down in a minute."

"Ok, see you inside, then." Dan walked back into the mansion, talking to himself about finding food.

Shun sighed once more, then looked at the full moon. 'Maybe I should just turn myself in. That would be better in the end." He shook himself out of his thoughts and got up. He then jumped up and did a flip with a 180-degree horizontal spin and landed on his feet in front of the house. 'At least my ninja skills haven't suffered.' He thought with a smirk. His grandfather had pushed him until he was almost as good as a ninja warrior as the old man himself, even though Shun had never wanted to do that in the first place.

Shun made his way into the house and to the living area that the rest of his friends were.

Shun smiled when he saw Dan get in trouble with his girlfriend named Runo. She was a blunette with grey eyes and a hot temper that could match Dan's impulsiveness. She was also a huge tomboy even though she sometimes dressed girly.

Shun then saw his other friends try to help Dan, but were unsuccessful. Marucho was the brains out of all of them. The short blonde was a good strategist as well as a talent with computers. Beside him was a silvered haired girl who was always bubbly no matter what the circumstances were and loved to go shopping. The last of the group was an orange haired girl with blue eyes. She was Russian and the sweetest out of all of them. She cared about everyone and always wanted to help. Shun also had a crush on her but he would never admit it.

"Oh, hey, Shun, won't you join us?" Alice, the Russian, indicated an empty seat next to her. Shun smiled and nodded. He sat down and watched the drama between Dan and Runo unfold. He had no idea how those two could stand to be dating when they fought all the time. He shrugged though when he realized that love could make people do the oddest things.

For several hours the friends talked and spent time together. Suddenly, Shun's cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and excused himself as he answered it.

"Hello?" He didn't recognize the number, so he tried to sound neutral as much as possible.

"Shun? Oh, thank the stars, where are you?" Shun raised an eyebrow not knowing who it was, but they apparently knew him.

"Who is this?" He demanded.

"It's me, Miguel." Realization hit Shun.

"How did you get my number?" He asked.

"Never mind that, just listen." Shun suddenly got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Listen, the boss was arrested two years ago and I just heard that we are wanted criminals."

Shun sighed, he needed to stop doing that. "Tell me something I don't know." His patience was starting to run out.

"Ok….Ummm." Miguel paused a moment, then continued. "Some one saw you or something, but I caught wind that the fuzz was coming to get you soon. I also heard that they know where you are. You have got to get out. Now!"

Shun stood there, feeling like he was in a dream. He now had a major choice to make and he probably only had a very small amount of time to decide. He thought carefully, he could tell his friends that he had to disappear for a while or stay and wait for the police to show up to take him away. After a minute, he had already made up his mind. "Thanks, Miguel, but I'm not going anywhere."

"What?! You'll be arrested."

"Yeah, but I'm done running. It's time to end this once and for all." Shun said with confidence.

There was silence. " You know what will happen, right?"

"Yes, I'm fully aware, but I can't live like this anymore. I'll take what I deserve."

Another long silence followed. "Ok, Shun, I wish the best of luck to ya. I hope you come out of it alive."

"Thanks, Miguel, I wish you the best of luck as well. Thanks for the heads up."

"Thank you. Take care, Shun." With that, the familiar click was heard, signaling the end of the conversation.

Shun put his cell back in his pocket, turned around…and jumped back with surprise.

Standing right in front of him was Alice. Shun could see her eyes held tears that were threatening to fall.

"Alice…I – I can explain." Alice shook her head. "I heard you, Shun. I'm sad that you will be gone, but I'm also very happy that you are doing the right thing."

Tears suddenly fell from her eyes, not able to hold them back anymore. Shun was relieved that he wouldn't have to explain why he was going to jail. He had already explained to his friends what he did in the past. None of them had turned him in two years ago and he was very thankful for the friends that he has.

Shun walked to Alice and pulled her into a hug. Alice began to sob into his chest, but he didn't care. He was going to miss his friends, but knew he would see them again one day. However, that still didn't make things any easier.

"Hey, what's with all the commotion?" Dan looked between Shun and Alice, confusion written all over his face. He had heard Alice sobbing and wanted to know what was going on.

"I'll explain in a minute, I…I need to talk with everyone anyways." Dan's confusion grew even more but he nodded and went back to the others.

Alice looked at Shun, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Shun nodded without hesitation. "Yes, Alice, I'm tired of constantly hiding and looking over my shoulder every time I hear a police siren. I also want to be able to go do things with all of you and not miss out because of the possibility of me being caught." Alice nodded and smiled. "Ok, then I support your decision."

"Thank you." Shun said quietly. Alice suddenly gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the living room where the others were.

When they entered the room, everyone stopped talking and looked at Shun, waiting to hear what he had to say. Alice sat down next to Julie and looked at her hands, waiting for the other's reactions.

Shun took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts then looked everyone in the eye.

"I just got a call from an old contact. He told me that someone had seen me and a warrant has been posted for my arrest." Here he paused waiting to see what his friends would say.

Everyone looked at each other, but Marucho was the first to speak. "So, I guess that means you are going to disappear for a while."

Shun had anticipated that answer and shook his head. "No, not this time." Everyone looked at him surprised. "It's time I laid this to rest; way past actually. I'm turning myself in."

All eyes were wide with shock, except Alice. Dan shook himself out of his shock and said, "Ok, buddy, we're right behind you then."

Marucho smiled "Yeah, and when you get back we will be waiting for you."

Shun blinked in surprise this time once he heard that statement. "Really?" Marucho nodded. "You're not just our friend, but you are family and that means with whatever you decide we will support you. And, of course, wait for you when you are able to come back."

Shun quickly blinked to hold back his tears, but he failed and two tears rolled down his cheeks. "Thank you, all of you." He couldn't believe it. 'I really don't deserve them, but I am forever grateful.'

"Group hug!" Julie suddenly yelled and everyone jumped up and hugged as tight as they could.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: And So It Begins**

The tweeting of birds and the stream of sunlight is what woke up Shun. He smiled at the memory of what he and the others did the night before.

After the group hug, everyone decided to make it the best night for him. They played games, watched a movie and talked. Shun was thankful because he didn't know when the next time he would be able to do something like that.

He got up, cleaned up, and got dressed. He took his time and took everything in knowing that it would be a while before he saw it again. He opened the door that led to a small balcony and looked out over the grounds while watching the sunrise. 'It is going to be a beautiful day. Too bad I won't get to enjoy it for long.' He thought sadly.

After watching the sunrise for a few minutes, Shun left his room and decided to enjoy his last bits of freedom. He went into the outside gardens and found the most secluded spot where he began to meditate.

After a while, Shun then began to go through his ninja training routine. The routine was nothing too strenuous, but strenuous enough to loosen his muscles. He sighed and thought, 'The next time I'll be able to do this maybe a long time from now. I highly doubt security would be thrilled about me doing this.'

Once he satisfied the craving to enjoy this peace and quiet, he returned to the mansion, only to run into Alice. She blushed when she realized she was caught.

She had gotten up and happened to see Shun going through his routine and she couldn't help but watch. She admired his grace and fluidity through each position.

Shun smiled at her, which put Alice at ease. "That looked very beautiful." Her blush deepened in color. Shun chuckled a little. "Yeah, that's what most people say."

Shun then looked at Alice with a serious, but sad expression. "Could you do me a favor?" She looked at him with concern. "Certainly." She replied, not sure what he was getting at. Shun then reached onto the inside of his shirt and took off a necklace that Alice had never realized that he wore. Shun held it out to her with his index finger by the chain so that she could see it better. Alice looked at it and realized how gorgeous it was. The chain was silver that held a silver angel pendant. The wings were very detailed as well as the angel's hair. The hands were held together creating a circle and in the middle held a blue and a green gem sitting side by side.

"This belonged to my mother before she passed away and it is very important to me." Shun blinked rapidly when he spoke to hold his tears back. "It's breathtaking." Alice said. "I know that when I go to jail that I won't be able to wear this with me, so I ask if you can take care of it for me, please?" Alice looked at Shun's eyes when he said this. She smiled and nodded. "Of course, Shun. I'll keep it safe until you reclaim it." Shun sighed in relief. "Thank you." He said softly and moved his hand closer to her so she could take it. Alice took the necklace gently from him and put it on that way it wouldn't be lost until she could put it somewhere safe.

"It looks nice on you." Alice blushed again at the compliment. They then walked to where the others had started to gather. Once, everyone was more awake, they enjoyed small talk until they all heard a loud knock at the front door. The room fell completely silent.

They all heard Kato, the Marakura's most loyal butler, answer the door. After a few moments, three policemen walked into the room. "Good morning, sorry to interrupt, but we are looking for a Shun Kazami?" The lead officer said looking at the faces of the Brawlers.

Shun slowly, not wanting to provoke any trouble, moved from his place against the wall. He slowly walked up to the officer and placed his hands in front of him, arms held at chest height, the insides of his wrists pressed together. He was silently telling them that they could handcuff him without any trouble. The officers looked at Shun in surprise; they had been expecting to have to chase him down.

Shun looked the officer in the eye and said, "I'm Shun Kazami." The lead officer looked at him with utter confusion. "Just like that?" he asked. Shun nodded, "Just like that."

The officer gave a sigh of relief and pulled out his handcuffs. He gently cuffed Shun's wrist allowing his hands to remain in front of him since he was cooperating. The officer then began to lead Shun away, while telling him his rights.

The other five Brawlers looked on with sadness. They knew it had to be done, but, never the less; it was still painful for them. They then followed after the policemen where they saw them shutting the back door where they had Shun sit. All five Brawlers waved as they watched the police cars start to pull away.

Shun smiled sadly and gave a small wave back until they were out of sight, only then did he let two silent tears escape his eyes. He knew it was going to be hard, but he realized that it was going to be much harder than he thought.

After about thirty minutes, they pulled up to the police station. Shun was led to one of the side offices where another policeman sat waiting.

It took a couple of hours for paperwork to be processed along with some questioning. They asked him to empty his pockets and hand over his wallet. Shun did as he was asked. He was patted down to be sure he didn't try to keep anything and then was led to a holding cell. There wasn't much. It was small with a bed, sink and toilet. The cell was approximately twelve square feet. He sat down on the bed with a sigh as the officer removed the handcuffs and closed the cell door. Shun then heard him say, "Welcome to your new life." And walked away.

Shun laid down on his back and stared at the ceiling knowing that his life was about to get much harder.

This chapter was a bit shorter, but I promise the next one will be longer. For those of you who are fans of romance, there will be some romance between Shun and Alice, but not much. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. *SaphirePearl*


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

**Author's Note: **I have to admit that I am not 100% sure how court proceedings work, but I think this is pretty close. I also tried to think of crimes that would be close to the correct number of time spent in prison. Don't forget to review! Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: "Guilty!"**

It has been four months since Shun was arrested. Today was the day he got to finally present his case to the court. He sighed knowing that this part of his journey was finally almost over. He chuckled to himself. 'Now I'm giving up this cell in exchange for another. How exciting!' He thought sarcastically.

After spending his time looking presentable for the judge, he sat on the cell bed and waited. He felt bad that he never told his Grandfather about this part of his life, but at the same time he was glad his Grandfather had passed away the year previous. He really didn't want to have to listen to the old man lecturing him about not being responsible or upholding honor. It did sadden him that he did not have any more family living but relieved that his friends were there for him.

Shun sighed. He couldn't wait to get his trial over with. After staring at the same walls with no one to really talk to (even though he didn't really talk anyways) was getting really old really fast.

Shun was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by the sound of an officer unlocking the door to his cell. "Let's go." Said the officer while he stood at the door holding the handcuffs in one hand waiting for Shun to get up.

The young ninja got up and stopped in front of the officer; hands outstretched in front of him. The officer expertly snapped the handcuffs on and lightly held the top of Shun's arm as they began their walk to the police car that would take him to the courthouse.

It was only a five-minute drive to get from the station to the courthouse. Shun and the officer quickly made their way into the courthouse to avoid the random reporters that were hanging around trying to find a good scoop. After going through security and making several twists and turns, Shun found himself placed in a room with a table and some chairs. There was a pitcher of water and glasses in the middle of the table. The walls were bare of anything to look at.

The officer gestured to the room and Shun walked to a chair. He hooked his foot on one of the back legs to pull it out some and sat down. The officer closed the door after he stepped in and he too sat down in a chair.

"How long until the trial starts?" Shun was anxious and impatient. The officer looked at his watch and said, "Not for another three hours." Shun nodded and leaned back, forcing himself have to wait patiently. 'It will be over soon', he thought as he got into a fairly comfortable position and began to meditate to pass the time.

***3 Hours Later*******

A knock on the door made both the officer and Shun jump in their seats. The officer stood up and answered the door. An officer that looked like a bailiff was standing there. "The judge is ready for you, Mr. Kazami." Shun nodded as he slowly got up and headed to the door. Both of the officers were on either side of him as they led him to the courtroom. When they entered, Shun automatically looked at the people in the room. There wasn't very many, which he expected. His five friends were there of course and a several people that he didn't recognized. There was the judge, the two officers, and of course six people that sat on the jury. Shun mentally counted in his head that there was a total of sixteen people, not including him.

He was led to a table and sat down. A few seconds later, the judge came in and everyone stood up as a sign of respect. She got up on to her podium and sat down. "Court is in session, you all may be seated." The bailiff called out when the judge signaled that she was ready. She opened a file, skimmed through it and then looked straight at Shun. "Normally, when I see a case like this, I expect someone to be disrespectful and trying to look intimidating. You are an exception, Mr. Kazami." She said after she took a good look at him. She automatically read his body language and knew right away that he was miserable. She then looked into his eyes and saw a huge amount of sadness, regret and guilt showing. She then realized that he wasn't even trying to hide any of his feelings.

The judge continued, " I also have noticed that you do not have a lawyer to represent you, why is that?" She was very curious. She had never known of anyone in this type of case to not have a lawyer present. Shun cleared his throat and then spoke. "Your Honor, I did not want a lawyer because I felt that there was no need for one." Everyone could hear how his voice cracked from lack of use over the last several months.

The judge nodded. "Very well, young man. After looking over the file I can see that there are many charges against you. Such charges include: theft, car jacking, trespassing, and in possession of an illegal substance." The judge paused.

The five Brawlers had listened to the list of charges, their eyes getting bigger with each one that was said. Dan shook his head in disbelief. He knew Shun had admitted that he had done some bad crimes, but he never realized how bad they were until now. He looked at his best friend with realization and understanding. 'Now I know why he felt so guilty all of this time.' Runo and Julie weren't sure what to think. Marucho shook his head trying to process what he had just heard. Alice on the other hand felt tears slowly run down her cheeks. She could see how Shun slowly hung his head further with each charge that the judge called out. She realized that she just wanted to rush over and hug Shun as hard as she could and to let him know that no one was mad at him. However, she restrained herself knowing that it would be disrespectful to the court.

The judge looked at Shun once more. " How does the accused plead?" She said this statement as if she said it a hundred times a day and in a way she had. Shun then brought his head up and looked the judge straight in the eyes. He had already had the answer to this question months ago. "Guilty." Everyone could here the confidence in his answer and that there was no hesitation. The judge raised her eyebrows in surprise. That was something she was not expecting, then again, this young man had been surprising her. "Very well. Then I already have your sentence in mind." She closed the case files and stacked them up neatly. "Shun Kazami, you will be sentenced to six years in the penitentiary prison. This case is closed."

The court stood as the judge left, then the jury. Alice got up and got the officers attention as he moved closer to Shun. "Could we just have a minute to say goodbye?" She asked politely while her voice shook from her repressed tears. The officer looked at her then at the others. They all had the same look on their faces and the officer nodded. "Yes, you all can have a minute, but don't take too long." Alice thanked the officer as he walked back to the side of the room to give the six some privacy. Shun slowly turned around and all five friends could see the tears that were threatening to fall from the normally calm and stoic ninja.

Dan was the first to go. He placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Don't forget to write, buddy. We still want to hear from ya." Shun nodded, not trusting him self to speak. This was the hardest part for him was to say good-bye to all of his friends. Marucho was next, "Just remember you are part of our family and we will meet you when you get out." Shun thanked him softly. Runo and Julie hugged him and told him the same thing the other two had said. Alice was the last and she immediately hugged him without a word. He didn't know why, but this hug made Shun have to struggle even harder to not break down right then and there. Nevertheless, he somehow managed to keep himself under control. Alice spoke quietly into his ear, so only he could hear. "I know this probably isn't the time to tell you this, but I want you to know that I like you more than just as a friend and you mean the world to me." She pulled away to look at his face. Shun was surprised at her confession and he gave her a small smile and replied, "I have to be honest, I feel the same way." Alice smiled at his answer. "Just be careful and don't do anything stupide." Shun gave a small laugh, "Don't worry, I won't." Alice gave Shun one last hug and a quick kiss on his cheek, the side that the other four couldn't see.

The officer suddenly walked up and placed a gentle hand on Shuns shoulder. "It's time to go." Shun nodded and pulled away from Alice. He turned and followed the officer out of the room without another word.

As the two left, Alice whispered, "I love you, Shun. Please be safe." Then the five Brawlers slowly left and headed back to the mansion where they all could figure out what to do for the next six years without one of their members.

Shun was taken back to his cell in the police station, being told that he would be transferred to the prison the next morning. As soon as the officer took off the handcuffs, locked the cell door and left, Shun immediately fell onto the bed and allowed himself to finally break down. He didn't know how long he laid there sobbing into the pillow but when he couldn't cry any more he let himself fall asleep from emotional exhaustion. The last thought he had before he fell asleep was, 'I hope things aren't this hard for the next six years.'

**~S~**

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I got inspiration for this story while I was watching the T.V. show _Prison Break. _I'll try to put at least one chapter up a day, but unfortunately work is more important, however, I will do my best. See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

**Chapter 4: New Home**

Shun was awakened by the shaking of his shoulder. He turned his head to see the officer that had escorted him to the Courthouse standing above him. "Sorry to wake you but I suggest you eat before you are transferred today. It might be a while before you get your next meal." Shun nodded and sat up as the officer left, leaving the tray of food behind. Shun then registered what the officer said. He looked out the small window across from his cell and could see that the sun had risen. He had slept the rest of the day before and all through night without waking up once. 'Wow, I guess I was more tired than I thought.'

He picked up his meager meal and slowly ate half of it. It wasn't all that great but he didn't complain. He just tried making himself get used to the way this food tasted since he had to get used to it anyways. After he finished eating, he laid back down but didn't go back to sleep.

After what felt like a couple of hours, the same officer came back holding a set of clothes. These would be the clothes that he would be wearing for the next six years. Shun took the clothes from the officer along with a plastic bag and was instructed to put his street clothes into the bag. Shun nodded and then quickly changed. He looked at himself once he put everything on and shook his head in disgust. It was definitely not him, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. He wore a white undershirt, dark blue pants that felt similar to scrubs and a light blue over shirt. He had to exchange his regular shoes for dark blue slip on shoes and they had no laces. He had to admit that the shoes were pretty comfortable. He put his old clothes in the back along with his shoes and sealed it. He looked at them for a little while, memorizing the stitching, knowing that he would see them when he got out six years from now.

The officer returned and took the now full plastic bag from Shun and left to put it with the other supplies that would be going to the prison. He made sure that the bag was sealed tightly and labeled to ensure that it would be returned to the rightful owner when the time came.

Another hour passed and the bus that would take its' new prisoners to the prison had arrived. Shun was handcuffed and escorted to where a line with other prisoners were waiting to board. They slowly made their way on board, while an officer asked for names and checked them off his list. When everyone was on board and secured, the bus pulled out and made it's way to the prison.

The Penitentiary Prison was located 20 miles outside of Wardington. Out in the middle of nowhere, so even if prisoners did escape they wouldn't get far because there wasn't anything for miles. As they got closer, Shun could see the landscape and smiled. If he were to escape, he would be able to get away easily. There was plenty of trees and underbrush that he could hide in, thanks to his ninja training. He sighed and leaned the side of his head against the window, trying to enjoy as much of the scenery as he could.

The bus finally arrived at the prison two hours later and it came to a stop to allow its' passengers to depart. The prisoners filed off the bus, names were checked off and boxes were piled next to the building where prison guards were moving them inside. The prisoners were sent through examinations and questioning, given another pair of clothes and a box that held allowed personal items in it as well as extra blankets. Then they were separated into groups then each group was escorted to their section of the prison.

Shun noticed he was being placed in the B wing of the prison. Which was one of the wings that were located in the middle of the prison. Once they entered through several solid metaled doors, they entered a giant room. The wing was three stories high with cells lined in a long the walls except the wall that was right above the security booth. The group was then split into three lines and each group was escorted to each of the levels. Shun was placed on the second level and was the last to be assigned to a cell. The guard stopped in front of a cell and talked into his radio for it to be opened. Once the door opened the guard pushed Shun inside. "Now be sure you two get along. No causing trouble or its solitary confinement for 30 days, got it?" The guard left before there was an answer.

Shun looked at the man who was sitting on the bottom bunk. He was a big man that was well muscled, with both of his arms covered in tattoos. His skin was a light chocolate color, with a clean-shaven head and a full goatee. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together. His piercing green eyes were looking Shun up and down as if he was trying to determine if he was going to be a threat or not.

The big man suddenly stood up and extended his hand to Shun. "The name is Jin Mariachi. What's yours?" Shun was surprised at the friendly greeting and set his box down. He straightened and took the offered hand. "I'm Shun Kazami." Jin then gave a full smile. "I think the two of us are going to get along just fine." He then let go of Shun's hand and sat back down. "Why's that?" The young ninja asked, curious as to why the man suddenly thought that.

"Because, you don't look like someone who wants to cause trouble." Shun nodded at the man's observation. Jin pointed above him, "You can have the top since you seem to be much lighter. " Shun agreed and got himself settled. He pulled out his picture that showed all six Brawlers after they had saved New Vestroia from the Vestals. He climbed up onto the top bunk without any difficulty and just stared at the picture. 'Those were such easier times.' He mused as he looked at the faces of all of his friends. Shun then found his thoughts going to his old Bakugan partner, Skyress. He sighed and thought how disappointed she would be if she found out what he had got himself into. He loved all of the Bakugan partners he had, but Skyress held a special place in his heart. Maybe it was because his mother was the one who gave him his first Bakugan partner and she would talk to him as if he was her child.

"Friends of yours?" Jin's question made Shun jump a little, not expecting to be talked to. "Yeah, they are my closest friends. I can't wait to see them again." His cellmate nodded. "By the looks of them, they seem to be really nice." Shun smiled. "They are the best. They promised me that they would meet me when I finally was released from here." Jin placed his big hand on his shoulder. "That's a wonderful promise." Then the big man disappeared from view. Shun felt the bunk move a little, alerting him that Jin had gotten onto his bunk. "Well, Shun, keep that promise in mind. Until that day, welcome to your new home."

**~S~**

Elsewhere in the same wing, yet in another cell found a man lying on his bed. He had short light brown hair, sharp cold blue eyes; he was pretty well muscled but he carried a little bit of weight on his belly. He had tattoos along his arms, neck and chest. On one hand was tattooed the word Blood and on the on the other was the word Raven. When he made a fist and put them next to each other, one could see it as Blood Raven. That was the name of his gang. This man's name was Vasquez. He was someone that no one should ever cross. He was cold hearted and ruthless. He enjoyed pain that others were put through as well as killing when necessary.

His cellmate was from his gang, his right hand man. He was not as muscled as Vasquez, but he could still hold his own. He had short red spiky hair with brown eyes and small stubbles showing that his beard was coming in. He was skinny, but tall and he was very smart.

"Travis, I think it's time to gain some recruits, don't you think?" Vasquez asked his cellmate. Travis looked at his boss for a moment. "If we are going to recruit then we need to move fast. The newbies just got here and it won't be long until they are all taken." His boss smiled his predatory smile. "I agree. It shouldn't be too difficult." There was a sudden loud buzzer and all of the cell doors slid open. Vasquez sat up, still smiling. "I suggest we get started." Then the two made their way out of the cell.

**~S~**

Shun sat up straight, heart pounding and eyes wide. Jin had stopped in his stretching to look at him with bewilderment. "You ok?" Shun made himself calm down, not realizing that he had dozed off at some point. "Yeah, that buzzer just startled me." Jin chuckled. "That buzzer always scares everyone who first gets here. Don't worry you will get used to it." Jin grabbed his over shirt and put it on and walked to the door. He turned to Shun, "You coming?"

Shun looked at Jin, "Go where?" He was confused on what was going on. Jin turned around and leaned against the doorframe. "Every day the guards open all the cells to let us walk around and be able to get out of these stuffy cells. It only last a couple of hours so I suggest take advantage of it." Shun nodded and jumped down to the floor and he too grabbed his over shirt and slipped it on. He followed Jin out of their cell and placed his hands on the railing. He could see everyone walking out of their cells and talking to one another. He could also see quite a few of the prisoners glare and argue at each other, but they never escalated into a full out fight.

"There is quite of few people here." Shun observed, mostly talking to him self. Jin chuckled, "Yeah, and believe or not, this place is almost completely full." Shun was shocked to hear that. He didn't think prisons were that full, but apparently he was wrong. "So, are there others that you hang with?" Shun changed the subject, still processing this new information. Jin shook his head as he leaned his back lightly against the rail. "Not really, most of the men in here I don't want to affiliate with." Shun nodded in understanding. He didn't see anyone he was interested in getting to know either.

"Hey, boss, you will never guess what I just found." A voice called out. Shun's eyes widened and he stood stock-still. He didn't dare to breathe or turn his head. He knew that voice. "What did you find, Travis?" Suddenly a hand grabbed his left arm and spun him around until he was face to face with Vasquez.

The cruel man's eyes widened then he gave a big grin. "Well, well. I haven't seen this rat in ages." Vasquez's grip became tighter and Shun could start to feel his arm to tingle from the loss of circulation. He kept on a blank expression while he was screaming in horror on the inside. 'That isn't possible. How is it we ended up in the same place?'

Vasquez pulled Shun closer. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did, you little rat. No one walks out with out paying the price." Shun saw his fist pull back and he closed his eyes, bracing for the pain that was going to come. After several moments, he cautiously opened his eyes and was surprised to see a hand was holding onto Vasquez's wrist. He turned and saw Jin had stopped Vasquez from moving any further.

"That's enough. I don't care what your issue with him is, but you are not going to fight here. Now leave, before I get angry." Vasquez growled then jerked his arm out of Jin's iron grip. Then he gave one more painful squeeze on Shun's arm then pushed him away. "Let's go." The gang leader said gruffly as he turned with the rest of his posse and left.

Shun sighed in relief when they were all gone. He put his hands on the rail and used his arms to try and keep him from falling to the floor. He noticed that his entire body shook from a mixture of adrenaline, pain, and terror. 'Out of all places, why was I placed in the same place as that lunatic?'

A hand was placed gently on Shun's shoulder and he looked up to see Jin looking at him with concern. "Are you ok?" Shun nodded. "Yeah, I just need a moment." He concentrated on slowing down his breathing and willed his body to stop shaking so much. After a couple of minutes, Shun felt like he had calmed down enough to be able to walk back into his cell without falling over right away. He slowly let go of the railing and carefully but quickly retreated to his cell. Once inside, he clumsily climbed onto his bed where he fell onto his side and drew his knees up in an attempt to calm him self down even more.

Jin had followed behind the young ninja, watching how he quickly retreated to a corner and curled in onto himself. The big man couldn't help but be reminded of his nephew who adored him. He slowly walked to the bed and looked at Shun. Jin suddenly saw him struggling to keep tears at bay, but not realizing that the big man was standing right in front of him. He felt sorry for the young man, he could just imagine the terror he felt when Vasquez confronted him. Jin had no idea what made him a target to that heartless man, but it apparently wasn't good in that cruel man's eyes.

Shun was lost in his own world; one that was filled with pain and terror. He thought that this was behind him, but now he realized that it had only begun. He suddenly realized that his chances for survival just got much slimmer. Shun figured he would have to stand up for himself against other prisoners, but instead he found himself up against the man he wished he would never see again. The same man that swore that he would get revenge because he had not only walked out of the gang but he also turned in Vasquez to the police so that he would be arrested and locked up. Of course, he did it as an anonymous tip at the time, but Vasquez still had figured out it was him somehow. He unconsciously touched the right side of his chest, remembering the pain that a bullet caused.

"Shun!" the yell as well as the rough shake of his shoulder brought Shun back into reality. He looked up and saw Jin standing in front of him with worry written all over his face. "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" Shun was surprised that his cellmate was caring this much about him. He assumed that he was going to have to fend for himself. 'I guess I was wrong in that assumption.' He slowly sat up careful to not accidentally hit Jin. "I'm ok, just shaken up a little bit." Jin nodded then patted Shun's arm, where Vasquez had gripped it. Shun let out a hiss before he could stop himself. Jin was all over him in a second, commanding him to remove his outer shirt. The young ninja did as we as told, figuring that it was probably better to not argue with the big man.

After a moment of Jin looking at his arm, he muttered, "It could be worse." Shun looked down at his arm after his cellmate let go. A giant bruise was forming; it started from right above his elbow and ended about two inches below his shoulder. It was also in the shape of a handprint. Shun sighed and put his outer shirt back on. "Don't worry, I've had worse." Thanks to his Grandfather's training, a bruise was nothing compares to some of the injuries he got during training.

Jin reluctantly nodded, "Ok, but if it get's worse, you better tell me." He warned. Shun couldn't help but give a small laugh. "I'm sorry, but you sound like the way my Grandfather would threaten me if an injury got worse." The big man suddenly gave a small laugh of his own when he heard that. "Well, I guess you can say that you aren't alone in this forsaken place." Shun nodded relieved that at least he had one friend in this entire place.

**~S~**

This chapter was longer than usual but it was necessary since key characters had to be introduced and their relationship with Shun. A big shout of thanks to srtikedeathkd53019 and Copperpelt for their reviews! Hope you enjoyed it! Remember to leave a review! *SaphirePearl*


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

**Author's Note: **Heads up, everyone. There will be time jumps through out this story from this point on. I don't think I can cover the entire six-year prison sentence. Don't worry, there will be plenty of high tension situations as well as moments filled with fluff. ;) Okay, enough talking, on with the story.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: At The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time**

Shun looked at the small calendar he had created in his little notebook and realized that 18 months had passed since he first got to the prison. He had stopped paying attention to time when got here; thinking that time would go much slower if he kept looking at it.

Jin and Shun became fast friends as time went on. They got to know each other pretty well. Shun also learned that the two of them were very similar in temperament as well as cleanliness. Their cell was probably the tidiest and cleanest cell in the entire complex. Everyday the two would take turns working out in the small space. Shun usually did his first since he was much smaller and he could spend the rest of his morning meditating, preparing him self for the day. While he meditated, Jin would then take his turn in working out in the small space.

Once that was done, they would have their meal, and talk about random things during the morning. After lunch, they were let out into the courtyard where they both found the most isolated spot and listened to the sounds of nature. After dinner, they did their own thing back in their cell. Usually Jin read, while Shun had picked up a new hobby in drawing. He had started getting really good at it. His cellmate was always challenging him with objects, animals, or people to draw. He had even challenged him to draw all of his friends with as much detail as possible. He took the challenge head on and when he was done, he realized that the drawings were fairly close to what his friends looked like.

His days were not always so peaceful. More often than he liked, Vasquez and his gang would come up and try to pick a fight or try to get him into trouble. Jin was always there to help keep anything from happening. Shun was very grateful and told Jin at every encounter how much he was glad that he had a friend who would help him. Jin always told him to stop thanking him and that he got the point. Shun never did stop.

Their favorite days were the days that they got visitors. Jin saw his sisters on weekly bases. Shun got to see his friends once every several months. The Brawlers were not able to come as often due to school, jobs and how far away it was from the city to the prison. Alice and Julie both had to return to their prospective homes. Shun hadn't seen either one of them since his trial. He did receive letters from them and he was forever grateful for that. Shun told him self constantly how he couldn't wait to get out. He could now understand how prisoners could go stir crazy in such small spaces. Shun had felt himself almost lose it a few times from being cooped up for so long. Shun and Jin's cell had a small barred window that they could see through. When he looked out, he could see the woods just on the other side of the wall. He ached to be running through them and work on his ninja skills. He could feel his skills starting to slip since he was restraining him self from doing a full routine of them. He promised himself that the first thing he was going to do when he got out was go out to his favorite spot in the woods and practice for an entire day if not a week.

Over all, his time in the prison hadn't been too bad. That is what he thought until one day, he was proven wrong.

**~S~**

It was mid morning and all of the cell doors were open during the two hour freedom the prisoners were allowed to have. Jin and Shun had found a corner on the first floor enjoying the space they could have. "So, what are you going to draw today, Kazam?" Shun shook his head at his nickname. Jin had started calling him that when Shun had demonstrated a ninja move where he was so fast he could disappear then reappear without his enemy noticing. Jin was impressed and described it as a magic trick. He then realized that his last name had part of a magic show sound effect and started calling him by that name. The nickname had stuck ever since. Shun didn't mind though, 'It's certainly better than 'hotshot' or 'ninja boy,'' Shun observed.

"I don't know, Jin, maybe something that is a full picture like a scenery or landscape." Jin perked up at the suggestion. "You could draw the view that's outside our window." He suggested. He liked this idea because it was much more challenging as well as time consuming. Shun laughed at Jin's face, "Ok, I'll draw our view from our window." Jin grinned proud of himself for coming up with a good idea.

The next minute that occurred no one was sure on what happened. One minute all of the men were being civil and the next the entire wing was in an all out fistfight. Jin and Shun tried to stay out of it and make it back to their cell, but they eventually had to get involved. At some point, Shun realized that he had gotten separated from Jin, but didn't worry about it too much. They would just meet back up in their cell.

Shun landed a swift kick into the side of another prisoner, which knocked him down for the count. The man held his side in pain, unable to get back up. By then, Shun had already moved on. He was almost back to his cell; he could see that it was only 10 feet away from him. Suddenly he was grabbed from behind and thrown over the rail. He landed on the concrete below hard. He rolled on his side as he tried to get himself reoriented. Just as he was about to get to his feet, he was suddenly pulled up by his arms by two other prisoners and dragged to the wall. The two pinned Shun to the wall by pushing their weight on his arms and legs. He tried to squirm out of their grip but was unable to.

"You aren't going anywhere, so stop struggling." Shun froze and slowly looked up to see Vasquez standing in front of him with a big smile. He realized that he was in a lot of trouble now. The gang leader suddenly slammed his fist into Shun's unprotected abdomen. That punch was followed quickly by three more, leaving him coughing and breathless. He could feel his adrenaline pump faster as he kept getting hit now on different parts of his body. "Finally, I can take out my frustration on someone who deserves on being creamed." Shun barely registered what Vasquez said.

Shun didn't know how long the beating took, but at some point, the two thugs that were pinning him to the wall lost their concentration and loosened their hold just a little. That was all Shun needed.

As Vasquez was throwing his leg out in a kick, the young ninja quickly pulled the thug on his right to his left, causing the thug to get kicked instead of him. When he fell to the ground, in pain, Shun quickly used his now free right arm and took care of the thug on his left. Vasquez cried out in rage and charged at Shun, intent on not letting him get away. Shun's reflexes took over and he immediately dropped to the ground and threw him self to the side.

Vasquez slammed into the wall but recovered in a split second and tackled Shun as he was getting up to make a run for it. They slammed onto the ground where they began to wrestle and roll, each one trying to get the upper hand.

Unexpectedly, smoke canisters had filled the room, making everyone gasp and cough. Vasquez ignored the smoke even though he could hardly breathe. He was intent on making Shun pay for what he had done. Shun was trying just to get away even though his ninja training took over when the smoke started to appear. He was taking shallow breaths to compensate for the lack of oxygen, but he was unable to escape Vasquez.

After what seemed like ages, guards came rushing into the room. They immediately pulled Vasquez off of Shun and pinned him to the ground. Shun only had a moment of a reprieve until he too was pinned…..again. Several minutes went by as the smoke cleared and guards secured the entire wing.

Once the smoke finally cleared from the room, Shun and Vasquez were both pulled up, but their arms were pinned by two guards behind their backs. The young ninja took the opportunity to bring oxygen back into his oxygen-starved lungs. After several deep breaths, he could feel the vertigo he was feeling dissipate as well as his level headedness coming back.

"What in the world is going on here?!" Shun looked up to see a man that was close to being 2 feet taller than he was. He had short dirty blonde hair that was combed in a professional style. He was overweight and wore a suit, but he carried him self like he owned the place. The man walked straight up to the two prisoners. It was then that Shun realized that they were the only prisoners outside of their cells. 'How did everyone get back to their cells so fast?' He looked up to his cell and saw Jin standing at the door, looking like he was ready to rip it off of its' hinges.

"Hey, boss, just some fun getting out of hand is all. No worries." Vasquez said. Shun looked at him surprised at what he was saying. "Right….and what do you think about this, son?" He looked back to the man realizing he was being talked to. All eyes were now looking at him. He could feel their gazes being burned into him from all sides. Shun gulped loudly, not sure on what he should say.

Suddenly a sharp pain shot through his right arm, which caused him to pull in a sharp breath and tears pricking his eyes. "Mr. Sanderson is talking to you, now speak." One of the guards said to him from behind him. He quickly repressed a growl that was starting to creep from his throat. He was really getting tired of being pushed around. Another jerk on his left arm almost made him head butt the guard behind him but he again stopped himself.

"That's enough you two. How do you expect to get information if the prisoners don't get a chance to speak?" Sanderson questioned. He noticed how the young man stiffened every time his arms were pulled on. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that this prisoner could take out multiple guards if he really wanted to. "Now, son, what do you think happened here?" He questioned again, making sure he wasn't being too intimidating.

Shun looked at Sanderson right in the eyes, while he pondered for a moment what he was going to say. "To be honest, Sir, I really don't know. I'm telling the truth when I say I didn't see anything." Sanderson looked right back at Shun trying to see if he was lying. He almost lost his poker face when he realized that he couldn't read this young man. 'What am I supposed to do?' He wasn't sure, he had never encountered this problem before. After much contemplation, he came to a conclusion. He turned to look at the rest of the prisoners.

"I am disappointed in all of you. I don't care if it was to blow off steam or waste time, there is to be no fighting allowed in this prison. Now to make you all learn this lesson, there will be a full lock down on this wing for an entire week. The next fight that occurs, the ones involved will be put into solitary confinement understood?" A chorus of "yes" echoed around the room. Sanderson then turned to the two prisoners standing in front of him. "As for you two, whether it was intentional or not, both of you are going straight to solitary confinement for twelve days."

Vasquez's and Shun's eyes widened in shock. "B-b-but why, Boss?" Vasquez stuttered. Sanderson gave a small smile, "To give everyone else an example on what happens when you are caught fighting. It's to also show them that my threat isn't an empty one. " He turned to the guards, "Take them away."

Shun and Vasquez were pulled towards the door of the wing. Shun managed to turn his head enough to look at Jin. He could see his cellmate rattling the cell door. He could also tell that the big man was enraged on this out come. Then he was pushed through the heavy metal doors and he lost sight of Jin.

They walked down many hallways and went down several flights of stairs. Eventually, they got to a hallway where the hallway was lined with many doors with two slots in the doors. Shun had never been here before, but he knew right away that this was solitary confinement. The two prisoners were separated and put into two different rooms.

Shun was pushed into the room that the guards opened and quickly slammed it shut behind them. He heard the heavy bolts slide into place, alerting him that he was now trapped and there was nowhere to go. He didn't know why, but Shun felt his heart beat faster and he felt the effects of claustrophobia. 'Ok, just relax; it's all in your head. It's only for a few days.' Shun sat on the bed, trying to calm down, but he realized it wasn't going to be easy.

He blew out a loud breath. 'This is going to be a really long twelve days.' He thought as he laid down on the bed trying to slow down his fast beating heart.

**~S~**

Another chapter down! This chapter was long as well, but I thought it turned out better than expected. Hope you enjoyed this one! Please Review for me! See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 6: Isolation**

Jin paced in his cell. The lockdown was over halfway over. However, that isn't what was making him prowl around his cell in worry. He was concerned about Shun. The big man had been put in solitary confinement only once, but it was only for a couple of days. His cellmate had to be there for twelve days! 'I hope he is ok.' Jin remembered from his experience how crazy he started to feel after being there for a short time. 'Your thoughts are your own worst enemy.' He thought while he continued to pace.

Suddenly, he heard a guard coming. Jin quickly went to the door to look out. He saw the guard who's name was Andrews. He had made sure he was on a good terms basis with him. "Hey, Andrews? Can I talk to ya for a minute?" Jin called hoping he would get his attention.

The guard stopped at Jin's cell and looked at him. "What?" Jin tried to control his impatience. "I need you to do me a favor." Andrews looked at Jin with confusion. "If it has something to do with your cellmate, there is nothing I can do to get him out." The big man shook his head. "No, I'm not asking that. I just want you to go check on him. Make sure he is ok." Jin knew that his eyes looked like they were begging. In a way he was, he had to know about his cellmate. Andrew thought for a moment, then nodded. "I could do that."

Jin sighed in relief. "Thank you, Andrew. You have no idea how much this means to me." Andrew smiled and shook his head. "I think I can imagine. I'll let you know as soon as I am able to check on him." Jin nodded "Thanks again, Andrew."

Andrew smiled and continued on his route. He kept telling himself that he needed to go down stairs and check on the young man who had never been put in one of those rooms before.

**~S~**

_He struggled to stay ahead of his pursuers. He didn't know who they were or why they were after him, but he knew that he had to escape. He ran as hard and as fast as he could. He jumped through trees, bushes, even swam through water and yet they were still getting closer to him. _

_ He could hear his heart pounding, drowning out all other sound. He could hardly breathe but he didn't dare stop. Suddenly the ground fell away from underneath his feet. He dropped into the hole, unable to stop his descent. He hit the bottom hard, knocking the wind out of him. He jumped to his feet, regardless of the sudden vertigo he felt. _

_ There was the sound of stone grinding on dirt. He looked above him and saw the opening closing. He quickly tried to make his way to the top, but didn't get very far when he realized the walls were closing in on him as well. He tried jumping, climbing, clawing, anything he could think of. He felt panic start to set in, but he didn't take the time to calm down. He tried getting out until he could no longer move. His breathing came out in short, sharp gasps as he began to hyperventilate. There was NO ESCAPE! _

_ A shadow fell across him and he looked up to see a man with a knife in his hand. It glimmered in the dim moonlight. The figure knelt down next to him and he was able to see who it was. Vasquez smiled evilly and it sent a cold shudder down his spine. "No where to run now, little rat." He raised the knife and stabbed towards his chest…_

Shun sat straight up, a scream tore from his throat. He sat on the bed, gasping for breath as he began to realize that it was all a nightmare. He ran his hands through his hair and realized that it was drenched in a cold sweat and he was shaking. He hadn't had a nightmare that bad in ages. He focused on calming his breathing and slow down his heart rate.

When he was sure that he wasn't going to fall over, he stood up and began to stretch to try and help relieve the tension that had begun to build up. He wasn't sure why he had that nightmare, but he had a feeling that it wasn't the last.

A knock on the door made him jump from being startled which resulted in him tripping over his own feet and falling to the ground. 'Oh, yeah, that was real graceful.' He thought as the small slit at the top of the door opened. "Everything ok in there?" a guard asked. Shun quietly growled as he pulled himself off of the floor. "Who's asking?" Not even trying to be polite. The guard seemed to look him over slowly. "My name is Andrew. Your cellmate wanted me to check on you to be sure that you were doing ok in here." Shun started to relax realizing that this man wasn't going to try anything. He walked closer to the door so he could have a better look at the guard. "I guess I'm doing as well as can be expected in this hole." Andrew smiled at his remark. "I understand. All I can say is just hang in there. It will be over soon." Shun nodded, grateful for the encouragement. "Thank you." Andrew smiled at him. "You seem like a good kid. I'm sure that this will be the only time you will be in here." Shun wondered if that was the case. "I certainly hope so. I hate this." Andrew nodded then said goodnight as he left to finish his rounds for the night.

The young ninja went back to his bed and crawled back under the covers. He sighed. 'Just a little longer. It's almost over.' He thought as he made himself go back to sleep.

**~S~**

Alice could not wait and paced in the lobby of Marucho's mansion. Today the Brawlers were going to make a trip to the prison to see Shun. Alice unconsciously traced the angel necklace that Shun entrusted to her. She didn't know why, but she never wanted to take it off. It gave her a sense of peace and she could never stop looking at it.

"Hurry up you guys." She yelled at the rest of her friends. Runo and Julie started coming down the stairs followed by the two boys. "Ok, chill, Alice, we are coming." Runo replied when she reached the bottom of the stairs. Alice realized she was tapping her foot and made herself hold it still.

"I think Kato is ready for us. So if we are ready that let's head out." Marucho started making his way to the front door. Everyone filed out of the door and climbed into the limo. The drive to the prison was agonizing for Alice. She wanted to see Shun right then and there. She and Julie were the only ones that hadn't seen him since the trial and she couldn't stand not seeing him any longer.

"Alice!" She snapped out of her thoughts at Runo's yell. "Will you just relax? We are halfway there." Alice sighed and nodded. "Sorry, Runo." She mumbled while she went back to looking out of the window. But she couldn't relax, she was way to anxious.

After another hour, the Brawlers finally arrived at their destination. They all went inside and went through security. Alice was surprised on all that she had to do just to see Shun. "Wow, there is no way anyone can escape this place easily.' She thought once they made it through and entered the visiting room. They all found a table that would hold all six of them. They sat down and Dan turned to Julie and Alice. "Ok, guys, listen up. I know this is your first time doing this, so when you see Shun, you can't touch him." Both girls widened their eyes at Dan. "You're kidding right?" Alice asked, thinking this was just a joke. Runo shook her head. "No, for once, Dan is right. It's one of their rules here. I think it has to do with making sure no weapons get passed onto the prisoners or something like that."

"Oh." Alice said disappointed that she wouldn't be able to even hug Shun. Suddenly a guard had appeared at their table. "Are ya'll here to see Shun Kazami?" He asked. They all nodded their heads. The guard sighed, hating this part of his job. "I'm sorry to inform you that you will not be able to see Mr. Kazami today. He is currently in Solitary Confinement and as a result he is not to be allowed any visitors." All five Brawlers looked at the guard in bewilderment. "Can we make an exception? Two of our friends are from another country." Dan asked, hoping that that will work. The guard shook his head again. "I'm sorry, but nothing can get past it. You will all have to come on another day." With that said, the guard left.

The five Brawlers just stared at the table, not believing what they heard. "Hey, you're Shun's friends, right?" Alice spun around at the new voice. Her eyes grew bigger at the big man that was standing before them. "Y-y-yeah. W-w-who are you?" She stuttered. The man sighed and took the empty seat. "My name is Jin Mariachi. I'm Shun's cellmate. I'm guessing you were just told you couldn't see him." The friends nodded their heads, listening intently. "I know the guards aren't supposed to tell you, but if you come back in five days, I promise you will be able to see him." There was a pause. "Actually make that six days. I don't know when they will release him yet. I will tell you that he is doing fine and that he will be thrilled to see you all." Jin then reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "I know that Shun wanted to give this to you personally, but through some contacts he asked me to go ahead and give this to you if you happened to come by." He placed the piece of paper down in the middle of the table to see. They all looked at the picture amazed at the detail. The picture showed a river with trees along one side of it and in the background. There were also a couple of birds and flowers through out the picture. What was shocking to the friends was all six of them drawn in the picture. Shun was in his usual spot in the back leaning against a tree. Alice was shown standing by him holding a drink out to him. Dan was sitting on the ground rubbing the back of his head while looking at Runo, who seemed to have just hit him by the way her hand was positioned. Julie was sitting by the water looking at all of the landscape and Marucho was on the ground near Dan laughing.

"It's beautiful. Who did this?" Alice turned to Jin. He looked at her and smiled. "Shun drew this several weeks ago when he was missing all of you." The Brawlers were even more shocked. They had no idea that Shun could draw. "I didn't know he was artistic." Dan said a loud. Jin nodded, "You didn't know because he started drawing only within the last few months. It's a new hobby of his while stuck in this place." He explained. He then stood up. "Better go, before I get yelled at. It was nice to finally meet you all. I'll let Shun know that you stopped by and that you may come by in a few days." Jin waved a little and left the room.

Alice slowly picked up the drawing and couldn't help but smile at the place Shun had drawn her: right next to him. Runo looked at Alice then said, "We should get this framed and hang it up in a place where we all can see it." Marucho nodded. "I agree."

After going back through security, they all climbed back into the limo and headed back to the city. When they all got back, Alice went up to her room and laid on the bed. She was glad that it was summer break and not a weekend. She pulled out her cell phone and called her grandfather. She explained that she was going to stay for another week because they got delayed in seeing Shun. After their conversation ended, she took off the necklace and looked at it. She smiled and fell into a light sleep.

**~S~**

_He ran as far and as fast as his legs could carry him. He glanced over his shoulder to see if he had lost his pursuers. He groaned in frustration when he saw that they were still right on his heels. His legs burned from all the running he had to endure and his legs were beginning to ache, but he ignored them and made himself go faster. _

_ He flung around a corner and dived in the alley that he saw as soon as he had cleared the corner. He pressed himself flat against the wall and held his breath. His pursuers ran right past his hiding place. He made himself wait until he couldn't hear any footsteps. As soon as the sounds had faded he released the breath he was holding. He leaned against the wall while he gripped his sides, trying to slow down his breathing. He pushed off the wall as soon as he felt he could move and walked to the opening. He looked around cautiously until he was sure he was alone. _

_ He had just taken a step out of the alley, when he suddenly felt a hand grabbed his upper right arm and spun him around. He was slammed into the wall and he felt more hands pinning him to the wall. As soon as he realized what was happening, he struggled against the hands trying to hold him still. He bucked, kicked, even bit a hand or two, he did everything he could to try and break free. In the end, he found his entire body being pinned so tight against the wall until he couldn't move._

_ Gasping for breath he looked up and met a heartless pair of blue eyes. He saw the smile that spread on Vasquez's face when he saw the realization that he had been caught and there was nothing he could do. "Well, it seems your luck has run out." He straightened up and pulled his hand out of his jacket pocket. His eyes widened when he saw the gun held in Vasquez's hand. He felt a new surge of energy that he didn't realize that he possessed and he began to struggle anew. The struggle didn't last as long this time and he let himself slump in defeat as Vasquez cocked the gun. He brought his hand up with a grin. "Nighty, night, Kazami." Then he pulled the trigger._

Shun shot up in his bed. In his panic he accidentally rolled off his bed and crashed on the hard ground with a thud. He laid there gasping for air while he gripped his chest where the scar was located. The memory of when the bullet had hit him had hurt worse than anything he had felt before. He grimaced when he remembered the pain when he had made himself walk the 22 blocks to the hospital. He didn't remember getting their, but he had woken up in a hospital room with his grandfather lecturing him on how foolish he was on letting himself getting shot.

Shun pushed himself up on shaky arms and leaned his back against the bed. He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. He let out a sigh. 'After all of this time, why does that memory have to haunt me now?' He wondered as he allowed his thoughts to drown out his nightmares for the rest of the night.

**~S~**

Another chapter! Yay! I had someone make an interesting point, what would have happened if the rest of the Brawlers didn't know about Shun's past? To be honest, I have thought about that but because Shun would have been around 19-years-old in this story, all of the Bakugan battles that occurred would have made a great impact on Shun personally. He trusts his friends completely at this point and I thought that it would make more sense for him to have told them about it. Make note though that I did decide to have him not tell them everything. Food for thought on this story. Thanks for reading and please review! See ya'll later! *SaphirePearl*


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 7: Is It Over?**

**5 Days Later**

'Finally, this torture is over.' Shun thought as he was escorted back to his cell. It was late in the evening, after dinner and Vasquez and Shun were just now being allowed back into their cells. As soon as the door to his cell shut, he found himself being crushed by the big man that he shared the space with. "Shun! I am so glad you're back." Jin pulled away so he could look at his cellmate better.

The young ninja just looked at him in shock. He wasn't expecting to see this from Jin. "It's good to see you too." He gave a big smile as he maneuvered around the big man and climbed on to the top bunk. He sighed as he laid down on top of it. "Now, this is more like it." He said as he finally felt his muscles relax. Jin chuckled. "The bed's not comfortable there?" Shun muttered a no to his question. He laughed and was about to tell him about his friends, when he realized that Shun had already fallen asleep. He smiled and grabbed the extra blanket and draped it over the young man. 'He must not have slept well. Though I can't blame him.' Jin watched a moment longer, amazed how Shun reminded him so much of his nephew then he too crawled into bed and went to sleep.

The loud thud woke up Jin from a deep sleep. He bolted up, looking around trying to figure out what had made such a ruckus. He suddenly heard a long stream of cursing from…..the floor? The big man looked on the ground to his left and saw Shun slowly picking himself up from the floor. Jin leaned out and looked at the bed above him, confused on how Shun had managed to fall out of bed.

He swung his legs to the side of his bed and placed his feet on the floor. He gently reached a hand out and placed it on Shun's shoulder. "Are you alright?" He was still trying to figure out someone who was so balanced and graceful had fallen out of bed. Shun gave a loud sigh. "I've been better, but yeah I'm ok." Jin nodded and waited. He knew the young ninja enough that if he wanted to talk he would start talking on his own. Jin didn't need to say anything except to wait patiently. His waiting paid off.

"Sorry if I woke you. I was just having a nightmare and accidentally rolled off in my sleep." Shun put his hands on the side of Jin's bed and pushed himself up until he was sitting on the side of the bed, rubbing the top of his shoulders. Jin saw how he grimaced while he was rubbing his aching shoulders. "Turn around with your back facing me." Shun looked at the big man with confusion. Jin sighed, "Just do it." Shun shrugged and did as he was asked. Jin pushed his hands out of the way and gently began rubbing Shun's shoulders, neck and the area between his shoulder blades.

At first, Shun was gritting his teeth in pain, but as he endured through it, the pain began to subside. After several minutes, he finally felt his muscles release all of the built up tension over the last couple of weeks and let a sigh escape to show his relief. The big man stopped when he felt that most of the knots had been worked out. "I meant to tell you last night, but you had fallen asleep before I could, that your friends came by a few days ago." Shun immediately turned around at that. "Don't worry, I let them know that they could come back in several days and that you should be free by then."

Shun nodded, upset that he had missed his friends that came quite a ways just to see him. He was brought out of his thoughts when his cellmate placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your friend Alice was very pretty. I think you two would be good together." He said with a wink. Shun could feel his cheeks heating up at that statement, but tried to hide it by pretending to rub his eyes. "Maybe, but I don't know." He replied.

Jin gave a small laugh. "I could tell that she really likes you and don't think you pretending to rub your eyes is hiding that blush that came up." The look he got at that statement only made the big man laugh harder. "I was not blushing." The young ninja protested, but he knew that it would do no good. He was caught and they both knew it.

"Oh, please, I have seen how you constantly look at her in that picture and how you draw her all the time." Jin smiled knowing that his cellmate was caught red handed and that there was no way for him to deny it. Shun sighed in defeat. "Ok, fine, you win." Jin only laughed as he climbed back up onto his bed and laid back down.

"Alright, well, lets get some more sleep. This time, Shun, please don't fall off the bed, it interrupts my beauty sleep." Shun rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny, Jin." The big man's laughter faded away as they both went back to sleep.

**~S~**

The two cellmates slept for the rest of the night. When morning came, they went straight back into their usual routine. They spent the morning and early afternoon doing their usual activities. While they were in the middle of their rec time, a guard called to Shun saying he had visitors. Shun walked to the guard, surprised that he had visitors already.

After going through the usual checks and reminder of the rules, he walked through the door that led to the visiting area. He immediately spotted his friends that had found the biggest table closest to the corner of the room. He quickly walked over and sat down grateful to finally see his friends again. He also noticed that Alice and Julie were there this time. "What are you guys doing here?" He asked, not sure why they would miss school for only a few minutes of seeing him.

Both girls giggled at his question. "It's summer, silly. We have time off from school and we wanted to see you." Shun mentally kicked himself. 'Summer. Of course, there isn't school.' "So, buddy, how are you doing?" Dan's question snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'm doing ok. Ready to be out of this place, that's for sure." Dan nodded. "I bet. I think I would be too." Runo suddenly beamed. "By the way, Shun, thanks for that beautiful drawing." Shun looked at her confused. Alice described the drawing to him after she saw his confusion. Once she finished, Shun shook his head at his lack of memory. "Ah yes, that one. Your welcome. I'm guessing you all met Jin then." At the confirmed nods, Shun got his answer.

Alice smiled. "He was really nice, even though he was intimidating at first." He smiled and gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I had the same thought when I first got here, but believe me when I say that he is a big softie." A loud buzzer suddenly sounded, making Alice and Julie jump, since they weren't expecting such a noise. Shun sighed and got up. "Seems my time is up. Thank you for coming, everyone. You have no idea how grateful I am for your support." Dan nodded. "No sweat, pal, we did promise we would be here for you." Shun smiled and nodded. With one last wave, he went back through the door to head back into the prison, wishing he could have gone with his friends through the other door.

**~S~**

Several more weeks past uneventfully. Shun was just glad he was no longer in the cell in solitary confinement. He had noticed over the last few weeks, that the cell had messed with his head and he didn't want to go back to that place. 'I suppose that's the point of it.' He thought while he was meditating one morning. 'Maybe now Vasquez will leave me alone.' He hoped silently that it was finally over.

However, he was wrong, as he discovered while he and Jin were eating their lunch. In the middle of his conversation, he suddenly got shoved out of his seat. He landed on the floor, just barely able to catch himself before he fell flat on his face. He quickly jumped up to see who it was that had pushed him and found that it was Vasquez and his gang. He growled in frustration, realizing that things were far from over. "Did you not learn your lesson, Vasquez?" He growled out, just barely containing his temper.

The gang leader laughed loudly. "Do you honestly think that was the first time that I was put into solitary confinement? That was a cakewalk. Besides, I haven't gotten my fill on what I deserve." Shun's hands curled into fist and he could feel himself start to shake with rage. He couldn't stand this anymore. "What you deserve is the chair for all of your sick crimes that you have committed!" Vasquez's smile suddenly vanished. "What did you say, boy?" His voice had gotten very deadly suddenly. Shun locked his gaze with his. "You heard what I said." He said just as deadly back. Vasquez eyes flashed with anger. "Then you mind as well join me, you little pest!" Then he suddenly smirked. "Maybe your little girlfriend could watch as you flop around like a little fish out of water."

As soon as the statement had left his mouth, Shun lost it. He leaped towards Vasquez, intent on ripping his throat out, when he felt himself being pulled back. He struggled trying to get to his target, but found himself being pinned against someone, their arms wrapped around his entire upper body. "Shun! That's enough! Calm down!" Jin's voice somehow filtered through the young ninja's enraged mind and forced himself to stop struggling and let himself just stand there unable to do anything.

Jin looked at Vasquez with a piercing gaze. "I think you have done enough for one day. Now move along." Vasquez was going to protest but he suddenly noticed guards making their way towards them and decided that it wasn't worth it. "Fine, but don't think this is over." Then he led his group away from the two cellmates. Once Jin felt that they were far enough away, he dropped his arms from Shun. He led him to the chair he was originally sitting in and sat him down. Then he too took his seat and continued eating his meal without another word. He glanced at Shun and saw that he was lost in his thoughts but Jin could tell that he was still seething on the inside, so he just let him be.

A guard was suddenly next to their table and Jin quickly glanced over to where Vasquez was and saw a guard by him as well. "What was all of that commotion?" The guard demanded. "It was nothing, Sir, just a bit of light teasing. We promise it won't happen again." The guard nodded then went back to where he was stationed. Jin sighed and pushed his cellmate's food closer to him. "Shun, you need to eat. Especially since dinner isn't going to be all that great." Shun only nodded and slowly finished eating his meal, but he was completely lost in his thoughts.

Once lunch was over, Jin led Shun out to a place that he was sure Vasquez wouldn't bother them during rec and sat down. 'Hopefully nothing will happen anytime soon.' Jin thought as he looked up at the clouds that were floating by.

**~S~**

This chapter was shorter than the previous chapters. This chapter was also a small break before Shun finds himself in bigger trouble. ;) Please review and see ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 8: The Trap is Sprung**

**5 Months Later**

The weather outside of Wardington was usually pretty nice. More days than not the sun would be shining and the sky was the prettiest blue anyone could imagine. On this day, however, it was far from sunny.

The loud clap of thunder brought a smile to Vasquez's face. To him, the weather fit his mood perfectly. In a couple of days, he will make Shun feel the worst pain in his life. What he was going to do he wasn't sure quite yet. Vasquez stared out into the rain that was right outside his window pondering his next move.

A loud clang made the gang leader snap his head toward the cell door. He saw Travis glare at the guard who seemed to have hit the cell door when the red head got too close to him. "Watch it or you will be seeing the inside of solitary confinement for a long time." The guard threatened before he walked away. Travis gave another glare until he couldn't see him anymore, then he plopped down on the bed. He felt eyes that seemed to burn through his skull. He turned and immediately shrank back at the angry glare that he got from his boss.

"What was that all about?" Vasquez growled to his second in command. Travis shook his head. "Nothing important, Sir." He hastily replied. The gang leader's eyes narrowed. "It better have been nothing." He let the silence between hang for a moment until he allowed his gaze to turn back to the rain. Another crack of thunder broke the tense silence.

Travis finally found his voice and managed to speak. "I got the new work schedule, Sir." Vasquez turned back to his second in command. "It appears we will be working with Mariachi and Kazami." At these words, Travis saw his gang leader give a big grin. "Is that so? Well, well, it seems we have work to do after all." He laughed and got up and walked to the cell door. He grasped the bars and looked up as far as he could see.

"Kazami? I'm coming for you! You hear me?! You better watch your back because you will never know when I will appear!" He made sure his laugh was loud enough to echo through out the prison wing.

One level up and on the other side of the wing, Shun felt a shiver go up his spine. He noticed that the entire wing fell silent as soon as the declaration from Vasquez was heard. Everyone knew by now the sworn oath that the gang leader had pronounced as soon as he found out that Shun was in the same prison as him. Jin turned to his cellmate and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. No words were spoken for there was no need for any. Shun knew that Jin was silently telling that no matter what, he wasn't alone in this horrible proclamation made by his nemesis.

Vasquez turned back to his second in command with a mad gleam in his cold blue eyes. "Now then, Travis, I know exactly what to do with that louse."

**~S~**

"Be sure you paint the entire room correctly or you will redo the whole thing by yourself." The security guard threatened.

Shun sighed as he and Jin worked side by side at one wall, painting it an ugly grey color. 'This color makes the room look depressing', he thought.

The prison has a work group that allows prisoners to help make the prison look better. Instead of hiring outside contractors, the prison finds that it is much cheaper to allow the prisoners to work on it. Each inmate gets a turn and they work for two months at a time. Then it moves on to the next set of prisoners. Jin and Shun have been working for about a month. They didn't mind the work since it allowed them to get out of their cell more often, but they knew it would soon end for quite some time.

Shun rolled his paint roller on the paint pan and realized that he needed to add more. He put his roller down and grabbed the paint bucket and felt how light it was. He looked into it and realized that it was completely empty. He put it down and turned to his cellmate. "I'm going to go get more paint. Be right back." Jin nodded and continued working while Shun walked to the supply closet on the other side of the room.

Shun grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. He took two steps in and felt a blow to his jaw. Not expecting it, he was momentarily stunned. He vaguely felt someone grab him and the sound of the door being closed. As soon as he got reoriented, he immediately began to struggle.

"Come now, vermin, that is know way to treat your hosts." The cackle that followed made Shun's blood run cold. He looked up and realized that Vasquez and his buddies had encircled the entire room, allowing no room for escape. He felt his pulse speed up as fear and adrenaline began to creep into his system. However, he made sure to keep a straight face.

Shun growled and glared at the gang leader. "I hope you realize that this is getting really old."

Vasquez smirked. "I figured you would say that." He turned to two of the men in the circle. "Boys, why don't we get this party started."

Two of the men quickly jumped forward and restrained Shun to where he couldn't fight back. Two others then come forward once they were sure the young ninja couldn't get away and bound his wrists and ankles. Lastly they shoved a rag into his mouth then wrapped another rag around his head to keep the gag in place. Shun felt his heart pounding so hard that he was afraid that it was going to burst out of his chest.

"Alright, boys. I think I will get things started." The gang leader announced as he walked forward revealing a pipe that he had grabbed from a hidden place while Shun was being bound.

Shun suddenly realized why he was bound and gagged. This way he was an easy target and he couldn't call for help. He closed his eyes as he waited for the first blow. 'Please, Jin, hurry and realize that I'm taking to long.'

He then couldn't think anymore as the pipe began making contact all over his body. Vasquez smiled, but made sure to avoid his head, he didn't want to kill him yet.

Shun didn't know how long it lasted, but he relaxed slightly when he realized that the pipe had stopped hitting him. He felt himself losing consciousness and he reached out to it desperately.

He was suddenly brought back to full awareness when he felt cold water splash onto his body. His head was jerked up when someone yanked on his hair and he met Vasquez's eyes. The gang leader smiled, "Oh, no, you can't pass out yet. We are just getting started." He turned to the other men. "Alright, boys, your turn, but remember, we want him to suffer, so don't kill him yet."

Shun closed his eyes in dread and tried to curl in on himself in defense as he felt all of the other men began to take turns on getting their satisfaction through his pain.

**~S~**

Suspense is building up once again. Thank you everyone who has been reviewing! I really appreciate the feed back! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers

Enjoy!

**Chapter 9: Spiraling Down**

'Finally done with this section on the wall.' Jin put down his roller in the paint pan and then he stretched out the kinked muscles in his back. He looked around the room for the next section of wall that needed to be coated. He glanced at the clock and realized that it had been twenty minutes since Shun went to go find a new bucket of paint.

'That's strange. I wonder if he had to go look somewhere else.' He moved both his and Shun's paint tools to a new section that he spotted not too far away. The big man sighed when he realized that he couldn't start painting again until he got more paint. He glanced at the clock again and felt dread start appearing in his gut. 'Something isn't right.'

A round of laughter was suddenly heard and Jin looked over at the group that had just appeared from somewhere. From where, Jin wasn't sure, but he noticed that it was Vasquez and his gang of thugs. He strained his hearing hoping to get what they were laughing about. He only caught bits and pieces that he didn't see to have any cause to be unnerved about.

He was about to turn back around when he heard his cellmate's name. The dread he was feeling quickly turned into panic. He turned fully around to look at the group. They were all high fiving each other and slapping each other on the backs, apparently proud of something. 'If they are ecstatic, then something bad must have happened.' He mused as he waited for the gang to get back to work, just to be sure he wouldn't be noticed.

Jin quietly, but quickly made his way across the room and to the supply closet that was sitting in the corner. The security guards were nowhere near it, which concerned the big man a lot. He forced himself to not break down the door and to gently open it. He slipped inside, closed the door, and looked around the room.

"Good heavens, what happened?" He gasped at the sight that he found in front of him.

**~S~**

Vasquez glared at the closed closet door. The rest of his gang might have been too caught up in their satisfaction, but he had seen Mariachi enter the closet that they had just left. He had wanted the rat to suffer in there all alone for a couple of days, but he should have known that his cellmate would have noticed his absence. 'An oversight that I won't miss again!' He promised himself.

He turned back to painting the wall as he waited with baited breath for the call for help. A few minutes later, his wait was over when he heard the closet door get thrown open and chaos shortly followed.

As the other prisoners were filing out, Vasquez was able to look into the room as he passed. As he was looking in, he accidentally locked his gaze with that of Mariachi. In that instant, they both knew who was responsible for this beating. Vasquez smirked as he continued on his way with the other prisoners. 'At least it was enjoyable.'

**~S~**

His world was a blur of pain and vertigo. He wasn't sure if he was even conscious anymore. He tried breaking free earlier, but as the pain went on, he completely gave up with struggling and just focused his energy on making it through this torture.

Shun heard all of the cheers, that were carefully controlled on a low volume, every time he made a sound to his distress. To him, it felt like an eternity until Vasquez finally called a stop to it all and told everyone to file out. The gang leader was the last to leave. He knelt down by the bleeding young man and sneered as he brought Shun's head up by his hair.

"I know what you're thinking. Why do this and not kill you? Because I want to watch you suffer a slow and painful death. Won't that be fun?" He laughed as he let go of Shun and stood up. He turned to leave then he swiveled back around and landed a swift kick to Shun's already abused abdomen. Vasquez smiled, enjoying the sight before him, then left making sure the door was closed on his way out.

Shun lay there on the floor, drifting in and out of consciousness as his wounds continued to bleed. At one point, when he was more coherent, he made a mental list of injuries he had. He had a hard time breathing, so he was pretty certain that he had at least a rib or two that was broken. He could tell that he had lots of bruises and scratches but that was all he was able to notice as he was still bound and gagged.

Shun had lapsed out of consciousness when he was brought back to the sound of quick footsteps. He curled in on himself as the footsteps got closer. 'Not again! Can't he just leave me alone for a day?'

He was surprised when strong, but gentle hands lifted his shoulders off the floor and onto their lap. Curiosity getting the better of him, Shun used what little bit of energy he had left and opened his eyes to see who it was.

When Jin had looked around the room, his eyes had immediately fallen onto the battered body of his cellmate. He quickly rushed over and lifted his young cellmate onto his lap. His sharp eyes saw many abrasions, bruises, and swelling all over Shun's body. Jin made a sound of disgust as he gently removed the ropes and gag. Once the gag was removed, the big man could immediately hear the rattle of breath as Shun struggled to breathe.

"Hang on, Shun. You will be ok." He mumbled comfortingly as he gently lowered the young ninja to the floor. "I'll be right back." He then ran to the door and threw it open, yelling for the guards to get the medic. Once, he saw the guards reacting, he ran back to his cellmate to try and stop the worst of the bleeding.

While Jin was putting pressure on a significantly bad wound he looked up and locked gazes with Vasquez, who was looking into the room. The gang leader smirked as he continued on his way. Jin growled quietly to himself. 'Why that sick….."

Jin froze when he felt Shun go completely limp and watched his eyes roll into the back of his head. "Shun? Wake up! You can't rest yet! Shun?!" The big man did everything he could to rouse the young ninja, but all of his attempts failed. "just hang on, ok? Don't give up." He pleaded as the medics finally started rushing into the room.

**~S~**

Another chapter down! Just so everyone knows, I will be posting a chapter tomorrow, but Monday I am not sure. I start my new job on Monday, so I don't know if I will be able to post it. If I do, it will most likely be later than normal. Thanks again to everyone who is reviewing. The reviews help me stay on track and I really appreciate the feedback. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers

Enjoy!

**Chapter 10: Recovery**

Darkness and blissful silence was all he heard. He laid there enjoying this place of solitude as long as he possibly could. Who knows when he would be able to come back to this place? To him this place was a place of luxury.

The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of beeping. He sighed in irritation, but he was also curious as to what was making that sound. He sat silently as he concentrated on his hearing. The more he focused on the sound, the louder it became. After listening intently, he realized that it was the sound of a heart monitor.

Shun struggled to open his eyes, which felt like they weighed a ton. Eventually, he was able to blink them slowly open. He took a single glance around the room and immediately knew that he was in a hospital room. He sighed as he raised his left arm to his head. The sound of metal as well as a sudden jerk told him that his left arm was secured by a handcuff to the bed. Shun looked at the offending object and growled in annoyance. 'Do they think I will miraculously get strong enough to even attempt something stupid?'

"Oh, good, you are finally awake." Shun turned his head to see a man that looked to be in his late thirties walk into the room. He was wearing scrubs and a white overcoat, which told everyone that he was a doctor.

"How long have I been out?" The young ninja asked. The doctor smiled. "For about three days." Shun looked at him shocked as the doctor looked at a folder. "I'm Doctor Allen Weaver." The man said as he finally looked up from the chart. "Actually, I'm amazed that you are even awake. I had thought you would be out for another four days."

All Shun seemed able to do was stare at Weaver. After a few moments of silence, he was able to find his voice. "I couldn't have been that bad."

Weaver turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Really? Let me list off some of the diagnosis I found when you came in." He flipped open the chart and turned to the front page. Shun sat silently, feeling even more shocked as Weaver read directly from the page. "Patient seems to have suffered from massive amounts of blood loss, three broken ribs, deep bruising, mild internal bleeding, abrasions, moderate concussion, sprained right wrist, and dislocated left shoulder."

Weaver looked up after he finished. "I'd say that you were pretty bad off." Shun just continued to stare, surprised at how much injury he really had. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Ok, maybe I was worse off than I realized. How long do I have to stay here?" The doctor smiled. "When I tell you that you can leave. I say for at least a week, maybe two." Shun sighed and looked at his cuffed hand. He looked at the doctor. "Are these really necessary? I don't think I will be doing anything in my condition."

The doctor smiled sadly. "I'm afraid so. Prison policy for any patient that has to stay here longer than a few hours." Shun nodded, not pushing the issue any further.

"Now that you are awake, I will inform the investigation team. They would like to ask you some questions about what happened." Shun looked up confused. "There is an investigation team here?"

The doctor paused in his writing in the chart. "Yes there is. Sometimes events happen that no one witnesses, such as your case. They have no clue what happened and want to be sure that they put an end to it." Shun nodded. "Does it help?"

Weaver sighed as he closed the chart and headed for the door. "Sadly, no. If anything I think it is a waste of time." He said, and then he left the room.

"Great." Shun muttered as he tried to find a comfortable position. He already started to feel how painful his injuries really were and he realized that these injuries were the worst ones that he had ever had. Even with all of the injuries he had received during his ninja training. He sighed and closed his eyes deciding to take a light nap while he waited for the guards to come in and question him.

**~S~**

"If he squeals, we are in a lot of trouble. You know that, right?" Travis stated as they waited for the lights to turn out for the night. Vasquez gave a small laugh. "You worry too much. Even if he does squeal, they won't do much. A couple weeks on solitary confinement won't do much good for him."

The gang leader stood by the cell door and he was looking around at the other cells. "So he managed to squirm his way out of my last plan. He is merely giving me more time to come up with a much more horrific way to torment him." He grinned at the image of the young ninja on his knees begging for mercy.

The red haired man watched his boss carefully. He had been around this man long enough to understand his moods and right now, he could see the giddiness the older man was projecting. 'Glad I'm not going to be the one on the receiving end of that.'

The lights to the wing suddenly went out, leaving the wing dark except for the several lights that was the emergency lighting. Vasquez made his way to his bank and got himself comfortable for the night. "First thing tomorrow, Travis, we are planning for Kazami's downfall." He cackled quietly as pulled up the blankets. 'Soon I will be satisfied enough that I can end his pathetic life.' Vasquez mused as he drifted off to sleep.

**~S~**

Another chapter up! This was a pretty short chapter, but I promise the next one will be longer. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan

Enjoy!

**Chapter 11: Returning the Favor**

**6 Months Later**

"I will be so thankful if I never seen the face of Vasquez ever again!" Shun growled while he quietly kept track of the gang leader and his group. It was lunch time and the young ninja had made sure that he wasn't taken by surprise ever since he was attacked in the supply closet several months back.

Jin sighed as he took another bite of his tasteless cheese sandwich. "Eventually you will get your wish. You just have to be patient." Shun glared at his cellmate. "My patience with that monster has gone completely out the window. Everywhere I turn, it seems like he his shadowing my steps."

Jin pushed his empty tray away and looked across the room at the group that had been causing them trouble ever since the young man had arrived. "Look at it this way, he isn't going to bother you for a while. That would bring too much attention. You are relatively safe from him for the time being." Shun nodded as he continued to watch Vasquez's movement. "I certainly hope so."

When they got back to their cell after rec, Shun looked at the healing scars that covered his arms and the one that was right above his right eyebrow. They were healing nicely and the one on his head would soon completely vanish. Most on his arms, however, will leave permanent scars.

"Leave them be. They are doing fine without you helping them heal." Jin teased while he flopped onto his bunk.

The young ninja sighed as he easily jumped onto his bunk and stared at the ceiling. "If Vasquez tries something against in the next few days, I'm blaming you for jinxing it."

The big man laughed, as he got more comfortable. "Fine, if he tries anything then I'll make your bed for a week."

Shun smiled. "Sounds like a good deal to me." The two laughed at their ridiculous bet.

**~S~**

"I thought you said we were going to put our plan into action when he was alone." One of the men said.

The gang leader glared at the man who spoke. "Yes we are, but I didn't say it was going to be that louse." His cold blue eyes looked around the men that had gathered around him near his cell. He looked around the large room until he found his target. "We are going after the one that seems to always be there for that vermin." All of the men looked to where he was pointing.

Travis quirked an eyebrow. "Mariachi?" He looked at his boss. "You want us to go after Kazami's cellmate?" The grin that spread on Vasquez's face confirmed the redhead's question.

"How? Mariachi is large and muscular. He could take all of us out if he really wanted to." Another man questioned.

Vasquez straightened himself until he was standing straight. He looked at his gang with the same frosty smile. "That's just it. He wants to leave this place as soon as possible. We all know to do that, one has to fly under the radar, right?" At everyone's nod, he turned back to his target. "Besides, it is a different tactic that neither one of them will be expecting."

**~S~**

Jin tied up the trash bag that was mostly full of trash. He slung over his shoulder as he began making his down the wing's stairs and to the pile of more trash bags that were piling up. Today was the rare occasion that the Prison Warden decided that the entire place needed to have a deep clean. The last big fight that occurred had made a huge mess and as punishment, all the inmates had to scrub the entire wing squeaky clean.

Jin dropped his burden with the other trash bags and started heading back to his cell so he could help scrub the floor with Shun. He had just placed one foot on the stairs when he was suddenly grabbed by his arms and a hand slapped across his mouth. He felt himself get dragged into a cell that was hidden in the shadows created by the stairs.

As soon as movement had stopped, Jin looked around the cell and realized that it was the group that Vasquez usually had around him. 'Well, this is a change of pace. It seems that want a go at me now instead of Shun.'

The cold-hearted gang leader abruptly appeared in front of him smiling. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Mariachi." He gave a small laugh. "Tell me, will Kazami come running to your rescue like you do for him?"

Jin stayed silent, but glaring his displeasure at the other man. Vasquez didn't even seem to be phased by it. "I would like to think he would. After all, the two of you have gotten pretty close." Small laughs were heard at the gang leader's statement.

Vasquez stepped forward until he was merely inches from where Jin was pinned against the wall. "I would love to watch what happens next, but, unfortunately, I have things that I need to get done." He smiled as he began to leave. "Have fun, boys." His parting words made Jin feel like his heart went plummeting into the pit of his stomach.

As soon as the gang leader left, the rest of the men, Jin silently counted four, took a step closer. The big man closed his eyes, preparing for the assault.

He heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh, but he didn't feel the blow or any pain. His eyes snapped open when he heard a grunt of pain. He saw one man on the floor and another man already on his way to join him.

Jin looked to the man on his right and before he could blink, a hand came flying past his face, breaking the nose of the man he was looking at. He too fell to the floor. The last man holding him let go of him and threw a kick at the attacker. He was quickly subdued before he even knew what happened.

Jin stood there in shock, looking at the four men that were either unconscious or moaning in pain. The big man jumped when a hand landed on his arm. He looked to the owner of the hand and saw that it was his cellmate. "Shun?...How did….?" He tried to speak but words seemed to fail his shocked mind.

Shun gave a small laugh as he began to pull the big man out of the cell. "Come on, we don't want to be here when the guards come in." They quickly made their way back to their cell and got straight to work.

After a few minutes, Jin was finally able to find his voice and looked at the young ninja. "How did you know I was in trouble?" Shun looked at him and sighed. He pushed himself up until he was sitting on his knees.

"When you didn't show up when I thought you should have been back, I started looking for you. That was when I saw Vasquez walking out of a cell with this huge smirk on his face. I then knew right away that he had done something or was about to do something, so I made my way down to the cell he left to see what was going on." Shun gave a small smile as he went back to scrubbing. "That was when I saw you and knew that I had to help. So I waited until they were distracted and made my move." He looked back at his cellmate. "The rest you already know."

Jin nodded and gave a laugh of his own. "I guess that means you returned a favor for all the times I helped you out." Shun laughed as well. "I suppose so."

**~S~**

I liked how this chapter turned out. I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 12: The Light At The End Of The Tunnel**

**27 Months Later**

'I can't believe it. Only a year is left.' Shun thought happily as he looked at his home made calendar. Jin was looking over his shoulder and smiled. "Seems that light at the end of the tunnel can finally be seen." Shun nodded. "Yeah, I just have to make it through one more year." Jin gently patted his shoulder as he retreated back to his bunk.

Shun leaned back until his back was against the wall. His time here had been anything but peaceful. Vasquez tried off and on as he tried to get his revenge on the young man, but somehow, he was always foiled in succeeding.

Shun was beyond excited that his time here was almost over, but at the same time he began to feel worried. Jin only had six months left on his sentence, which meant that Shun would have to fend for himself the last six months on his sentence. He had to be honest with himself: it terrified him. Jin had always been there for him when he couldn't get himself out of the trouble he found himself in and he had helped him in just as many ways. Now that Jin would be leaving soon, that meant a new cellmate and less help from someone that he could trust.

He looked at his cellmate and wished for a moment that their sentences ended at the same time but he knew that it was futile. Jin wanted to leave just as badly as Shun did and he wouldn't deny the big man his hard earned freedom. He just hoped that he could make it without getting into too much trouble without his cellmate that he had come to see as a close friend.

"Earth to, Kazam. I asked you a question." Shun mentally shook himself out of his thoughts when he saw a hand waving in front of his face. "I'm sorry, Jin, what did you say?" Jin shook his head. " I asked if you were going to be ok when I leave?" Shun shrugged. "Maybe, I'm hoping I can stay under the radar. Though it probably won't work." Jin sighed. The big man never told his cellmate that as his time got closer for him to be released, the more worried he got for the other. He didn't know why, but his gut was telling him something really bad was going to happen, but he didn't know what it was. He looked at his cellmate….'No, my friend. I took a liking to him as soon as he got here. Even though he seems like a son to me.' Jin realized as he continued to look at the young man. He had never married, but if he were to have a son, he would want him to be like Shun.

The buzzer sounded and their cell doors opened letting them out for their evening meal. "Come on. Let's go eat." Jin said pulling both of them from their thoughts as they made their way to the dining hall.

**~S~**

Alice was ecstatic. She marked off another day on her calendar and saw that there was only one year left before Shun would be back with his family. Even though she was back home in Russia, she couldn't wait for the date when she got to fly to Wardington to meet up with the others when Shun was finally released.

She danced her way over to the kitchen and started cleaning the meat and vegetables for dinner that she was preparing for her and her Grandfather. When she had placed the food in the oven to cook, she went into the living room and sat down while looking at the angel necklace. She noticed that she would have to clean it before she gave it back to Shun. It wasn't as polished as when he gave it to her to hold onto. Still, she smiled and kept looking at all the detail. She always looked at it, but she couldn't help it. It was just too gorgeous to not look at it. 'I wonder why Shun always has it under his shirt and not out where everyone can see it.' She pondered.

She suddenly heard her computer beeping, letting her know that she was getting a video call. She ran into her room and answered the video call. She saw all five of her friends looking at her when she answered. "Alice, what took you so long?" Runo demanded. Alice blushed, "Sorry, I was in the other room finishing getting dinner ready to be cooked." Runo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Uh huh, sure you were. I bet you were looking at that pendant that Shun gave you." Alice felt her blush deepen. "So, maybe I was. Besides it isn't mine. Shun just asked me to take care of it while he was away."

"Aw, that is so sweet." Julie jumped into the conversation. Alice suppressed a laugh when she saw Dan and Marucho's faces at their conversation. "You know, Alice, I think you and Shun should totally date. You two would make such a cute couple." Dan made a disgusted noise. "Oh, come on you guys. Can't ya'll talk about Shun like that when us guys aren't here." Runo laughed at Dan's protest. "Ok, sorry guys. We won't talk about Shun in that way until it is just us girls."

Marucho sighed. "Thank you. " Alice noticed that the short blonde didn't want to hear about this kind of thing either. "So what's up? I doubt you called to chat about my love life." Alice asked. Julie beamed. "You're right. Runo and I were planning on making a welcome home party for Shun. After all, it's been such a long time since he had a party and thought it would totally be fun." Alice wished she could be surprised, but she wasn't. Julie was always looking for an excuse to throw a party. "So, what do you think about it, Alice?" Julie asked excited. Alice sighed knowing Julie wasn't going to like her answer. "To be honest, I think all Shun would want is just to get a ride home and enjoy some time out in the open. I think a party would be a bit too much for him." Julie looked disappointed at her answer.

"See? I told you that Alice would agree with me. Shun needs time to himself after being stuffed into a shoe box with people all around 24/7." Dan said irritated that no one had listened to him in the first place. Alice giggled at his expression. "Well, we still have a year to get through first, we'll see what happens." She glanced at the time and realized that dinner was about to be done and she needed to pull it out of the oven or burn it. "Well, I got to go. I don't want to eat my dinner burned." Everyone said their goodbyes and she ended the call. She went into the kitchen and pulled out dinner and set it on the counter. She looked back at the calendar as she set the table. 'Almost there. I can see the end now.' She thought as she went to go tell her Grandfather that dinner was ready.

**~S~**

Another chapter down! Please review! I like to read what ya'll think of the chapters. See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan

Enjoy!

**Chapter 13: Big Trouble For The Last Time**

**7 Months Later**

'Why does time have to go so slow now?' Shun pondered the question as he watched his new cellmate throw everything onto the floor as he looked for something he had misplaced for the umpteenth time over the last month. His new cellmate was skinny, but short. He had very pale skin, bleached blonde hair and grey eyes. He also seemed to talk to himself all the time, which got on the young ninja's nerves. Shun did not like his new cellmate but they tolerated each other. Ever since Jin had left, Shun had found himself returning to his old ways where he stayed silent, kept to himself, and remained invisible as much as possible. Now that he was on his own, he was more paranoid than he ever was when he first got to the prison.

He yawned as he laid back down onto his bed. He still kept the top bunk, but it wasn't the same. He had discovered that he hardly slept now that Jin had been released and he didn't trust his new cellmate at all. He had heard through other prisoners that the reason his cellmate was in prison was because he was caught carving up the faces of his victims, right before he killed them. Shun was terrified that that would happen to him. So he constantly kept his guard up even at night, which unfortunately made him have to sacrifice quite a bit of sleep. He got enough to be able to get through each day but not as much as he would like.

"You stole my toothbrush, didn't you?" Shun glanced at his cellmate and glared at him. "Why would I take your toothbrush? I have my own. Besides that's disgusting." He answered as he went back to staring at the ceiling. His cellmate grumbled as he continued looking for the said object. Shun sighed as he tried to keep himself from screaming out of frustration. 'If I have to answer one more ridiculous question, I'm going to strangle the life out of him.' He thought and was relieved when he heard his cellmate finally locate his toothbrush.

The buzzer sounded and the two-hour break began as the doors opened. His cellmate jumped up with excitement and rushed out of the door. "Finally!" Shun said to himself as he let himself enjoy the momentary peace and quiet that suddenly surrounded him. He sat up and pulled out his paper and pencil, which he kept hidden from his cellmate and began to draw something at random. He would have slept if he didn't think anyone would bother him, but he had heard about one of the prisoners who had slept during this time. He ended up limping for a week after the other prisoners thought it would be funny to give him the worst wedgie in his entire life.

Shun pushed some of his hair out of his face as he continued to draw. After several attempts, he gave up and put his drawing down. He undid his hair and braided it to help keep it out of his way. He was amazed how long he let it grow. It was now the same length he used to wear it when the Bakugan first appeared. That was over ten years ago. Once he finished braiding his hair, he went back to his drawing and only did he realize that he had been drawing a picture of him an Alice looking out over a beautiful valley. He hadn't noticed what he had been drawing he was so preoccupied about his worries. He smiled, 'Maybe I should just take Alice to one of my favorite spots. Just the two of us.' He continued looking at his drawing when it was suddenly ripped from his grasp.

He looked up ready to yell at the person who took his possession when he stopped in mid rant. There in front of him stood Vasquez and his gang. Shun quickly glanced around and realized that he was trapped. There was nowhere to go. He gulped and looked Vasquez dead in the eye. The gang leader smiled, "What happened to your friend? Oh, that's right, he left. No one will help you now, you little rat." Vasquez signaled his men to grab the young man. The moment one of the hands made a grab for him, Shun kicked him as hard as he could in the head. The man cried out as Shun brought himself into a crouched position. Bringing his hands up in his usual ready stance that had been ingrained into his muscle memory.

"Tsk, Tsk. That was not very nice. Why don't you cooperate for once? ' Shun had to laugh at that answer. "Do you honestly think I would just let you do as you please to satisfy your sick revenge scheme?" He asked. On the outside, one would think he was fearless. On the inside, however, he was screaming in terror. He didn't have enough space to really maneuver and he was way out numbered. 'Well, if they are going to take me down, I'll just have to take as many as I can with me.' He silently promised himself.

The other prisoners in the wing weren't sure what happened. All they knew was everyone was chatting and behaving and then the next moment, there was yelling, sounds of crashing, and screams of pain. All of the other prisoners stopped and watched the chaos unfold before them. Guards immediately started pouring through the door, intent on stopping the fight.

Vasquez appeared and yelled out, "Stop the guards, it's time we took over this forsaken place." All the guards were then under attack and they did their best to fend them off, but eventually failed. The guards that hadn't come through the door quickly closed the heavy, metal door in an attempt to keep the prisoners inside the room. They failed, as the prisoners were able to push their way through and start taking over the control room. Other guards started running to warn the other guards while some stayed behind to try and slow down the prisoners.

Vasquez and his group didn't know if the other prisoners heard the gang leader, as they were too busy trying to pin down their intended target. Shun kicked, punched, rolled and pushed as many as he could. His intent was to just get out of his cell and into the larger space so he could have room to maneuver. Vasquez watched the chaos in front of him, trying to see where the young man was but he was unsuccessful.

Suddenly, a hole opened in front of Shun. It led straight out of the cell and he dove for it. As soon as he had cleared the doorway he jumped onto the rail and ran along it until he got to the stairs where he used his ninja skills to get to the higher level. Once there, he took a moment to catch his breath. He kept his eye on the stairs, waiting for his attackers to follow him up. After a minute, he heard the sounds of running footsteps on the stairs and saw the gang running up the stairs and splitting up onto both sides of floor. Shun growled in annoyance. He had hoped they wouldn't have thought of that, but now he had to think quickly or risk in getting caught. He turned to the cell behind him and saw blankets and sheets on the floor. He raced forward and quickly knotted the bedding together to create a makeshift rope. Once done, he ran back to the rail, tied it around it, making sure it was tight. He saw his attackers closing in on him fast and he took a deep breath. He jumped over the rail, holding the other end of the rope and hoped that in his haste that he knotted it good enough.

The rope jerked to a sudden stop and Shun realized that it was too short. He looked down and saw that the drop to the bottom floor was at least 20 feet. The next floor was about 12 feet but he could see Vasquez coming towards him. 'I guess there is only one way.' He took a deep breath and let go of the rope. He fell hard on the ground. He rolled to help absorb the shock, but he could still feel the pain travel through his legs. He didn't stop as he quickly got up and ran to the door that led out of the wing. Now that the other prisoners had left, there was no one in his way to stop him.

He ran as fast as he could go. He didn't know where he was going, but he didn't care. All he could think of was get away as fast as he could. He turned down one hallway and a door caught his eye. He slid to a stop and looked at the door. It was a brown wooden door that was opaque. The letters on the door read Janitorial Closet and Shun grabbed the doorknob to see if it was locked. When he found that it wasn't, he jerked it open and made a dash inside, closing the door behind him. He quickly found the lock on the inside and drove the bolt home.

After a couple of minutes, he heard the sound of running feet, which came to a sudden stop right in front of the closet. Shun held his breath and stood as still as he possibly could. "Where did he go?" Movement was heard as someone walked a few feet. "I don't know. Hey, check that closet just in case." His eyes widened but stayed silent as he heard footsteps come to the door and stop. The doorknob suddenly moved and the sound of the door creaking as the man pulled on it. It stopped as fast as it had started. "The door is locked. There is no way he could have gotten in there." The man walked away from the door. "Ok, then let's keep moving up the hallway. He couldn't have gotten far."

Shun waited until he could no longer hear their footsteps before he released the breath he was holding. He then used his hands to find the light switch and flicked it on. The room was tiny and there wasn't much room. But there was enough that Shun could take a look at himself. He was covered in bruises and scratches. He saw blood in different places on his clothes, which told him that it was from his attackers. He also noticed how badly he was shaking from all of the adrenaline running through his body. Shun leaned against the door and slowly sank to the floor until he was sitting with his knees bent. He wrapped his arms around his legs and placed his forehead on top of his knees. "What have I gotten myself into now?" He asked himself as he closed his eyes to try and gain some rest but keeping his senses facing the door behind him.

**~S~**

Lots of chaos in this chapter! Things are really starting to heat up for our favorite character. Please review! See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 14: The Breaking Point**

The entire prison was up in an uproar. The other three wings were put into lockdown and five guards assigned to each control room. Meanwhile, the prisoners that had escaped from B wing was running all over, trying to gain full control.

In the visitor's room, three guards stood around the small group of visitors that had been pushed into the middle of the room. The five Brawlers sat on the floor, concern and worry written all over their faces. "I wonder what is going on." Runo whispered, afraid to attract any attention. The other four agreed and hoped that their friend was ok. "I hope Shun isn't involved." Alice said as she grasped the angel pendant tightly. All five of the friends were scared but they were unable to go anywhere until the riot was over.

Suddenly, the door that accessed the prison was kicked open and prisoners started pouring in. The three guards did their best to protect the visitors, but were eventually defeated and were beaten into unconsciousness. The prisoners rushed to the other door but soon realized that it wouldn't be as easy to get through that door. They then all rushed out except for six. One of the men looked over the visitors until his eyes landed on an orange haired girl. He stared at her, unsure why she looked familiar. He placed his hand in his pocket and heard the crinkle of paper. He pulled it out and saw the drawing that he had taken from Shun. He looked at the drawing then at the girl that sat in front of him. He smiled as he put the drawing back in his pocket. He walked forward until he was standing near her.

Alice watched as the man walked up and stopped only a couple of feet away from her. She started to shake, feeling the terror that was working her way through her body. She swallowed and slowly raised her eyes until she met his gaze. "Hello, Darlin'. The name is Alice, isn't it?" She remained silent. She didn't trust this man at all. When he didn't get an answer, he reached down and grabbed one of her wrists and pulled her up. Alice immediately started to struggle, trying to get away, but he had an iron grip. "Oh, yes, I think you will be perfect to draw out the little rat." He smiled. Alice didn't know what he was talking about, but she knew it wasn't good.

The man spun her around until her back was to him, then he placed an arm around her waist and picked her up. He started walking away telling his men to go ahead of him. Dan suddenly sprang up and jumped onto the man's back. All three of them fell onto the floor. Alice continued to struggle while Dan began to punch and kick the man, trying to get him to release his grip on Alice. Dan was then knocked back by a kick by another man.

The man holding Alice got up, still having a tight grip on her. "That was stupid, kid. I would suggest not doing that again." He then walked out with Alice still struggling in his arms. She started to feel tears run down her cheeks. 'This is not what I was expecting when I came here today.' She thought despairingly. After several twists and turns, they walked into a room where she was placed in a chair. One of the men had taken some fabric and ripped them into strips, which he used to tie her to the chair. Alice was terrified and she didn't know that to do.

The man that had been holding her turned around and looked at her. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Vasquez and I already know your name is Alice." He walked until he was standing directly in front of her and then he placed his hands on the back of her chair. He leaned until he was only a foot away from her face. Much too close for Alice's comfort. "Now, why don't we let that little rat know that you are here. He will come straight here, when he finds out that his little girlfriend is here with me." He gave a small cackle as he straightened up.

A microphone was placed into Vasquez's hand, the one that you would see at an elementary school and he clicked it on. Alice could here him clearly as he began to talk into it. "Listen up, Kazami. You will come out of your little hidey-hole and come up to the medical ward. I have someone here with me I think you wouldn't want to miss. You wouldn't want any harm to fall onto her little orange head, now would you?" He laughed for a few seconds before he clicked off the microphone. He turned back to Alice and gave here a cruel smile. "We need to prepare for his arrival now." Alice couldn't help but feel her heart sink; realizing that either her or the man he was calling out wasn't going to make it through this.

**~S~**

Shun sat in the closet with disbelief flooding through his mind. He only knew of one person that had orange hair and that was Alice. He realized that that meant the other Brawlers were here as well. 'They must have come for a visit.' He growled in frustration. His original plan was to hide in the closet until the guards were able to take control of the prison, but it seemed the Vasquez had other ideas.

Shun stood up and got himself psyched up for what he was about to do. 'Hopefully my ninja skills haven't suffered too much.' He thought as he grabbed a black piece of fabric. He arranged the fabric around his shoulders and covered his mouth and nose. 'He's going to be sorry he ever crossed my path.' He thought angrily as he flicked the light off, slowly unlocked the door and opened it.

He looked left and right and didn't see any one. He slipped out of the closet and got his bearings. He saw the hallway that led to the dining hall and he knew exactly where he was. He took the hallway on the left and made his way silently down the hallway. He stayed to the shadows as much as he could as he made it to his destination. He slowly opened the door and slid in, making sure to stay as low to the ground as possible. He silently closed the door and crawled to the corner of the barrier and peaked around the corner. He saw four prisoners guarding the group of visitors on the ground. He could see his other friends huddled together and his concern went up a notch when he saw Dan was lying on his back. Obviously he was out cold.

For a few minutes, Shun watched the prisoners' patterns as they walked around the group. Once he was sure he knew their pattern, he made his move. As soon as the one prisoner got in front of him, he dashed forward, jumped and gave a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. The man fell unconscious before he hit the ground. Shun didn't noticed for he had moved onto his next target. The prisoner on his left came charging at him. Shun waited until the last minute and he sidestepped while turning to get out of the way. The man crashed into the wall and Shun ran up behind him and delivered a strike to the side of the man's neck with the side of his hand. He too fell unconscious before he hit the ground.

Shun turned to the man on his right who was trying to sneak up on him, but was failing miserably. The young ninja got into his fighting stance and beckoned the other man. The man took the invitation and jumped forward throwing a punch at Shun's abdomen. He easily blocked it by grabbing his wrist and turned his body on the inside of the man's arm as he tossed him over his shoulder. The man crashed to the ground and laid there not moving.

The last prisoner stood behind one of the visitors, using her as a human shield. "Come any closer and she dies." Shun just looked at him without any emotion. He looked down and saw a man had a pen in his pocket. He knelt down and reached for it. "Excuse me, sir, I am going to borrow this for a moment." The man only nodded as Shun pulled it out of his pocket. He stood back up and looked for his opening. The prisoner shifted and a small part of his neck was exposed. Before anyone could move, Shun had thrown the pen with as much force as possible. The pen sliced through skin as it flew by his neck, not killing him, but enough for him to let go of his hostage as he grasped at his neck. As soon as the woman was clear, Shun jumped over the group of visitors. As soon as he landed, he threw his foot out in a kick, which slammed into the prisoner's chest. He hit the wall hard and slid down the wall, losing consciousness.

As soon as he was sure the room was clear, he turned and knelt next to Dan. His other friends were relieved to see him. "Thank goodness, you are here, Shun." Julie exclaimed while hugging him. He ignored her while he shook Dan by the shoulder. "Dan! Wake up!" After several hard shakes, Dan's eyes slowly opened. "Ugh….what happened?" Runo jumped in at his question. "One of the guys that took Alice kicked you and we couldn't wake you up."

Dan nodded, then his eyes widened as he shot up when he remembered what happened to Alice. "We have to go get her." A hand was suddenly placed on his shoulder. "I know, Dan, but I need your help." Dan looked at the cloaked figure in surprise. "Shun? Is that you, buddy?" He rolled his eyes. "Who else would it be?"

Dan nodded. "Ok, what is your plan of attack?" He started pulling himself into a standing position as everyone else stood up. The other visitors were pounding on the other door, demanding to be let out. Shun shook his head and started for the other door. "Come on, I need to make a few stops first. I'll explain on the way." The four Brawlers followed closely behind as they began listening to the plan.

**~S~**

I hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter. Please review. See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 15: Fighting Back**

**2 Hours Later**

Vasquez paced around the room; anxious for the one person he had called out. Not long ago, the guards had cut all power and water to the prison. 'Fine by me. I won't be needing that anyways.' He thought while looking out of the window. He heard a small creak and he looked over at his hostage. He walked over to her and smirked. "Now, now, don't be trying to get free. The surprise won't work if you aren't here."

She glared up at him. "I don't know who it is that you are trying to capture, but I assure you that if anything happens to me, you will be sorry." Vasquez couldn't help but laugh at her threat. "You aren't in any position to threaten me, my dear." He tauntingly caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. Alice jerked her head back from his touch. The gang leader laughed at her reaction.

Suddenly, two little pops were sounded in the room and it filled with smoke in seconds. Vasquez and the other gang members were completely blind. The gang leader moved to grab his hostage but only found air. He was confused for a moment, but then he felt something hit his ankles making him fall to the ground. He cried out in shock as he hit the ground on his back. He kicked what hit him and realized that it was the chair that had held his hostage. He quickly dragged himself to his feet and ran blindly in the direction of the door.

After a few moments of blindness, he burst through the door, just in time to see two people running down the hall. "Shun Kazami! You will pay for that!" He bellowed and ran back into the smoke filled room. He found a scalpel and picked it up, making sure he had a good grip. Then he ran back out of the room and in the direction he saw his target run down.

Meanwhile, Shun had Alice's hand and was pulling her along as fast as he could. They both were breathing hard from their hard sprint down the hallway. After several twists, Shun came to a sudden stop. He leaned over, hands on his knees as he took a moment to catch his breath. Alice had dropped to the floor and was gulping down air. "Are you ok?" Shun was finally able to speak after a couple of minutes. Alice nodded, "I am now."

"Good." Shun stood up and held out his hand. Alice took it and he helped her up. He then led her further down the hall looking in each room that they passed. At the very end of the hallway, he knocked on it three times in rapid succession then two slow knocks. After a pause, he opened the door to the room and walked in.

Two people suddenly tackled Alice into a hug as soon as she walked in. "Oh my gosh, we are so glad to see you." She recognized Julie's voice. "Yeah, we were afraid that creep had hurt you." Runo added. Alice smiled at the both of them. "I don't think he would have hurt me without Shun being there." She then looked at the young ninja. "What does that guy want? He kept saying I was part of some surprise he had come up with." Shun sighed, "That man's name is Vasquez. He was the gang leader that I worked for back in the day. He wasn't happy that I not only walked out on the gang but I also used the anonymous tip to turn him in and get arrested." Shun sat down as he started pulling tools from his shirt. "I'm not sure how, but he found out I was the one who turned him in and had sworn on getting revenge ever since."

Dan looked at his best friend in surprise. "Wow, talking about holding a grudge." Shun nodded. "Ok, we don't have much time until he finds us." He finished placing items on the floor. "These are homemade smoke bombs. Use these as a way to move around undetected." He said while pointing at small little balls. "This is your typical twine that we can use as booby traps to trip people up. Just remember where they are so you don't get caught in them as well." He picked up one of the nightsticks that he had picked up from the weapons locker room. "Here, Dan, I picked one up for the both of us. Use the shorter side to hit someone in their diaphragm and that should stun them for a minute. The other side I would suggest for blocking or for much more damaging attacks." Dan nodded as he took the offered stick.

Everyone stood up after Shun had finished demonstrating a few moves with the nightstick to Dan. "Shun, what do we do now?" Alice asked apprehensively. He turned to look at Alice; "I get all of you out of here. Once you leave the prison it will be safer for you. I just hope I don't get shot in the process." Shun added as he made his way to the door. After checking to be sure the way was clear, he waved for everyone to follow and began making his way towards the entrance to the prison.

It took them thirty minutes to make their way to the door. Shun and Dan would sneak up on prisoners when they came across them, otherwise the way was mostly clear. When they got to the door, Shun stood behind the door as he pulled it open, making sure that the door safely protected him. He told his friends to go while he held the door so they could get out faster. Alice was at the end of the group and was about to go through the doorway, when it was suddenly slammed shut. She looked over at Shun and saw that Vasquez had come out of nowhere and had slammed himself into the young ninja.

Shun grabbed the arms that were wrapped around him, placed a foot on the door and pushed with all of his might. The struggling duo fell to the ground, each trying to get the upper hand. Alice pressed herself up against the wall, watching the fight. She tried making herself seem invisible, not wanting Vasquez to see her and try to use her to get the upper hand.

A cry was heard that echoed through the entire room. Vasquez was then kicked away from Shun by the young ninja having pushed with both of his feet into the gang leader's chest. He fell to the ground on the other side of the room. Shun scrambled backwards while wrapping his left arm around his waist. Alice rushed forward to try and help. "What happened?" Shun brought himself into a crouch and looked at his abdomen to see a cut going at a diagonal across his stomach. The white fabric was starting to turn red from where the wound was. He growled at Vasquez for having cutting him as badly as he had. He couldn't see the wound all that well, but he could feel that the cut was pretty deep. Vasquez gave Shun a cruel smile when he saw the injury. "That would be a start, but I think more blood should be in order to compensate for what you have done." Then he launched himself at the young man.

Shun pushed Alice away from him when he saw Vasquez flying towards him. She fell against the wall feeling a little dazed from where she hit her head. She watched from her place on the floor as the two men fought each other. Shun barely stayed ahead of the older man only due to his enhanced reflexes. Then he saw his opportunity.

Vasquez had made a wild swing with the scalpel, which Shun easily dodge, but it left him wide open. Shun kicked the scalpel out of Vasquez's hand causing it to fly up from the older man's grip. He quickly followed with another solid kick to the man's chest and he caught the scalpel that was still in the air. He jumped on top of the other man and held the scalpel right at the man's throat. Everyone froze, the occupants barely breathing at the sudden turn of events.

"Well, it seems you have won this fight. So go ahead and do it." Vasquez glared up at Shun. "Go on, kill me. I know you want to." Shun glared back at the gang leader as he felt his forearm muscles tensing, getting ready to deliver the final blow. "No, Shun! Don't kill him!" Alice's shout made him pause. He then felt her hand on his shoulder. "I know he has hurt you and tried to kill us, but if you kill him, not only will you feel guilty, but you will also have to spend a lot more time here in this place. Is that what you want?" She reasoned patiently. Her stomach knotted, hoping that he would pick the right decision.

Shun had stared at Vasquez the entire time Alice had spoken. After a few moments, he threw the scalpel across the room. Then in one fluid motion, he slammed the side of his hand onto the pressure point in Vasquez's neck, which made him lose consciousness. He fell off of Vasquez and sat on his knees, not believing what he had just done.

Alice suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck; ecstatic at the fact that Shun had shown to be the better man. "Thank you, Shun. You did the right thing." She said while looking at him. He nodded as he suddenly began to feel really light headed. At the same time the door burst open and Shun found several assault rifle aimed at his chest.

Alice saw the guards rush in and she immediately hugged Shun to help shield their aim on him. "Please don't shoot him. He saved my life." The guards looked at one another then moved on seeing that he wasn't going to be a threat. "Thank you, Alice." She let go to look at Shun as he moved to lay down. "Shun, are you ok?" He nodded, "Yeah, just light headed, but I'll be ok." Alice nodded even though she didn't believe a word that he had said. She gently pulled away the hand that was covering the cut and she could see how much blood was pouring out of the wound. Alice fought back the nausea when she saw the blood everywhere. It was all over the floor, Shun's clothes, and even his arms. She looked at his face and saw how pale he had become from the blood loss. She grabbed his hand, while trying to ignore how slick it felt with blood covering it. She tried to calm herself as she and Shun waited for the medical team to arrive.

**~S~**

Another chapter down. The intense battle is over at last. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bakugan.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 16: Free At Last**

**4 Months Later**

After the riot was suppressed, it didn't take long for damages to be repaired and the normal routine was put back into place. Shun had received medical treatment and placed back in his cell without any punishment. Thanks to Alice explaining that he hadn't killed anyone and saved her, the Warden decided to let him slide. He was grateful that he didn't have to worry about any punishment. Besides his cellmate that he still had to deal with, which was punishment enough.

Vasquez on the other hand was transferred to a different prison, one with much higher security and away from all of his contacts. He wasn't going to be getting out anytime soon. Shun was glad he didn't have to deal with him any more.

Four months went by with Shun's cellmate driving him up the walls with idiotic questions and constant babbling about everything and nothing all at the same time. His only time he was able to get away from his cellmate was during rec time and he always slipped away unnoticed to the spot he and Jin had discovered. Here he was able to meditate in peace and not worry about being interrupted.

During that time, his friends had told him that they wouldn't be able to see him until he was released, because of jobs and other important matters. Shun had told them that it was fine, since he wanted time to fly by anyways.

Now the day he had been looking forward to had finally come. The day he was finally going to be released from the prison he had spent six years in. He woke up and watched the sun slowly rise from his bed through the little window. He smiled when he realized that he could actually start going outside when he wanted to after that day. Saying he was excited was an understatement. He couldn't wait to get out of there.

He spent the morning doing his usual routine before his cellmate woke up. He then gathered up all of his drawings that he had kept hidden and put them together into his box. He had breakfast in the dining hall as well as spending his last two hours with the cell doors open. When it was an hour away from lunch was when the guards came to get him to start his release. He grabbed his box as they escorted him out of B wing. 'I definitely won't be missing this place.' He thought happily as he began the procedure for being released.

First they searched his box to be sure that he wasn't trying to hide anything as well as his person. When they were satisfied they let him take his personal belongings and set them aside. He went through a final medical exam and questioning. He was briefed on the things he was expected to do as soon as he was let out. Shun listened carefully, especially at the part where he was told to report to a parole officer once a month for six months. After hearing all of this, he signed some paperwork saying he agreed to all of the conditions explained to him.

When all of it was done, it was three hours later. He was taken to a changing room and a guard handed him the bag that he had placed his clothes in six years previous. He quickly changed into the familiar clothes and sighed when the soft fabric touched his skin instead of the rough, itchy fabric of the prison uniform. He handed the prison uniform back to the guard and he was then allowed to pick up his personal belongings. He reclaimed his keys, wallet, cell phone, and of course all of his drawings. Once he had everything, a guard escorted him to the front door and told him to stay out of trouble as he opened the door.

Shun thanked him and practically skipped out the door just to feel the sun on his face. He sighed as he enjoyed the first moment of freedom. "It's about time, Kazam." Shun opened his eyes to see Jin standing there with a young man, who looked to be in his teenage years, standing next to him. The teenager had dark brown hair that was shaggy, he wore jeans and a band t-shirt with green eyes. "Jin, what are you doing here?" Shun asked as he was pulled into a crushing hug. "I came to greet you on your release and to introduce you to my nephew." He grinned as he turned to the young man. "Shun, I want you to meet Michael Clark. His family lives in America." Shun smiled at the youth. "It's nice to meet you. Your uncle has told me a lot about you." Michael nodded. "Yeah, my uncle has said a lot about you too." Shun laughed and the three talked for a few more minutes. Then he saw Marucho's limo pull up. "It was really good seeing you, but my ride is here." Jin nodded. "Say no more. Stay in touch, Kazam." Shun nodded and the two embraced one last time before Jin and his nephew left.

Shun turned to the limo and he was suddenly attacked by all five of his friends. "You did it, buddy. It's over." "Yeah, we are all so proud of you." "Just make sure you don't get in trouble." "We can go to the mall or amusement park or…."

Shun laughed when all of his friends talked to him at the same time and he managed to slip out of their grasp. He held up his hands, asking for quiet. "Thanks everyone, but I think I just want to go home and enjoy a room that doesn't require a room mate."

They all climbed into the limo and the friends talked the whole two hours back to the mansion. Once there, Shun immediately went straight to his usual room and laid on the bed. He sighed at the comfort and softness the bed provided. "I think someone missed the bed." Shun sat up onto his elbows and looked at Alice. "To be honest, I missed having a room that I could lock the door." She laughed and she sat on the edge of the bed. Shun got up and sat beside her.

She pulled the Angel necklace off, which she polished several days ago, and held it out. "I believe this belongs to you." Shun gently took it from her and looked at her eyes. "Thank you, Alice. I'm glad you took care of it for me." He placed the necklace back into its' usual spot underneath his shirt. "Can I ask you a question?" Shun nodded wondering what she was going to ask. " I was wondering why you put the necklace under your shirt. It's so pretty and I thought the world would want to see." Shun was surprised at the question. That was not what he was expecting. "I keep it there, because it feels closer to my heart and reminds me that my mother is always there for me even in spirit." Alice smiled. "That is a nice reason. I hadn't thought of that."

Shun and Alice then met each other's gaze. Alice didn't know why, but she suddenly felt drawn into his hazel eyes. The two didn't realize they were getting closer to each other until they could feel their breaths mixing together. Alice felt her heart pounding in anticipation on what could happen next. Shun was looking at her, admiring how beautiful she looked. After several moments, Shun gently put his hands on either side of Alice's cheeks and pulled her closer until their lips met. Alice was surprised at first, but quickly fell into the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he brought one hand down onto her lower back while the other moved to the back of her head.

They pulled away and Alice blushed when she realized that they had been kissing. Shun smiled and touched his forehead to hers. "Was that ok?" She nodded. "Yeah, it was nice." Shun felt relieved and kissed her again. That night, the two had decided to start dating, to everyone's delight.

Some time during the evening, Shun went out onto the roof and looked at the moon and the stars. He was so glad to finally be back home with his family and not have to worry about whether he would survive the day or not. He was also thankful that he could go out in public at last and not have to worry about being arrested. His thoughts also turned to his old contact Miguel and Shun hoped that he was doing ok, even though he continued to be on the run. Shun might have the word ex-convict on his file, but he was glad that the one thing that had been haunting him had been laid to rest for good.

He jumped down from the roof and went to the garden where he began to go through his ninja training skills that he had not been able to do for six years. His life was now perfect and he would not exchange it for anything. 'At last I am finally free.'

**~S~**

The prison was quiet as the guards made their rounds, checking to be sure all of the prisoners were secure for the night. Once everything was checked out, the lights were turned off, leaving only the safety lighting active. All was quiet as the graveyard shift began.

A dull thud was suddenly heard through out the prison wing. Vasquez glared daggers at the pillow he had thrown with all his might at his door. If looks could kill, then every single guard would have been dead multiple times by now. 'I can't believe Kazami put me here. How could he have thwarted my plans again?' He growled in frustration as he punched the wall several times, not caring that he was beginning to draw blood along his knuckles. "No matter what, Kazami, you will pay." He walked to the window in his door and he could just see the moon rising through the window. "And when I get my hands on you, you will beg for me to end your life." He smiled when he thought of the young man that had caused so much trouble in his life, on his knees begging for mercy. "Yes, you will pay."

**~S~**

This was the final chapter, everyone. Don't worry, there is a sequel coming up. It will be called _Time's Up. _The first chapter will be put up within the next week. For all of you fans that love romance, there will be a lot interaction between Shun and Alice in the next story. I will also be putting up a story that is a _Lord of the Rings_ fic, but that one will still be a little while longer since I haven't started writing it yet. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this story and, of course, please review! Hope to see ya'll on my next story! *SaphirePearl*


End file.
